The Mad Dog & The Ferocious Wolf
by ScarletRedfox
Summary: There were two important rules in the culinary world: eat or be eaten. To Ryou Kurokiba it was a dog eat dog world, but exactly how would his views change when he met someone who could be just like him while cooking: ferocious and feisty? Can the wolf teach the dog new tricks? Or will they tear each-other apart even before the battle began? Many other chars included(not just pairs)
1. Sharp Eyed Boy Cook

_**A/N:**_ **Hello dear readers! This is my first story for this fandom, so I hope the characters aren't too OOC. Pointers and suggestions for improvement are and will always be appreciated if you have any! :) Thanks!**

 **Update (20.12.2017): Currently rewriting a few stories, including this one, I rewrote the first chapter a little so it flows more smoothly. I'll try to update the next chapter soon, thank you all for your patience! :)**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Shokugeki no Soma, the manga/anime all belong to their respective owners.**_

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 **Chapter 1: Sharp Eyed Boy Cook**

It was a cold but nonetheless busy November day, the people of the little port town in Denmark worked as hard as they usually did despite the chill numbing their fingers. Their port was known for its rough environment, but most of all it was known for their successful pub, run by a very capable yet quite intimidating young chef.

The young lad growled menacingly, a truly threatening sound coming from such a young, innocent mouth. The growl, however, was enough to force even the eldest of the cooks into submission. Despite all the cooks, who stand under his control, were at least twice as old as he was, the boy didn't mind that one bit.

In fact, all the adults cowered in fear and snapped to attention when their very young chef issued a command. Due to his feral and aggressive demeanor, he worked his way up the ranks and that's how he managed to survive and become a chef of the successful albeit little pub. The boy was in charge, everyone knew that.

At least everyone was _supposed_ to know that. The young boy cook glared as a girl made her way inside his kitchen.

There was a strict "no woman" policy and he was following it obediently, seeing that girl casually strolling into his restaurant sent his blood boiling. The other cooks could already see his fists clenching in anger as he grit his teeth, his eyes a scathing red. Could this girl not _read_?

"What the hell are you doin' here in my kitchen? Get the hell out!" he barked, his eyes sharp and the red in them practically glowed fiercely, his wild, feral features reminiscent of a wolf. The adults shared a frightened look with each-other, mentally begging the poor girl to run away as fast as she could to not suffer the wrath of their chef.

But the girl only smiled at him shyly, completely fearless, "Hi! I'm sorry to disturb but may I try your special s-salmon dish? I heard you're making the best in town!" she smiled sweetly, clasping her small hands together in front of her….trousers?

The girl was wearing trousers? The young boy cook rose an eyebrow at her attire, she was wearing boy's clothes save for the frilly but simple shirt she wore. She wore small, brown boots and loose, bell-bottom trousers which looked a little big on her small frame. A small floral hair clip was in her dark brown hair, acting more as decoration than actually holding her hair together to keep it out of her face. She had expressive, warm dark brown eyes. She was pale, but not overly so with small dimples on her nose and cheeks. She wasn't petite like some girls he saw but it also didn't seem like she ate regularly.

The young boy growled, he glared at his subordinates as they were watching with rapt interest, either waiting for their chef to skin the girl alive or to shoo her away with a broom. But the growl-like sound made the boy turn his wild, unruly hair back to the little girl.

She was hungry. Just then he did a double take on her clothes.

Her boots were well-worn, ripped at the edges, it would only take a matter of time when her toes would be poking out of them. Her shirt was ripped at the sleeves, _ripped_ , done so forcefully. Her brown pants also had small holes here and there but then his eyes zeroed in on several cuts along her thin arms and her face had a small cut as well on the side of her cheek. A few bruises marked the inside of her arms and collarbone.

Without a word, the boy walked in the back of the kitchen, grabbed a chair and placed it in front of the kitchen table loudly, he glared at the girl squarely, "Well? What are ya waitin' for? Sit down and wait!" the girl was momentarily confused but followed the boy's orders nonetheless, seating herself at the chair and crossing her legs shyly while waving politely at the speechless cooks who stood rooted to the spot. What was their chef doing?

"I told you to cook, didn't I?! If I see anyone stare at the girl I'll throw them out!" at their chef's shout the adults immediately averted their curious gazes from the shy girl and focused on preparing meals for their other customers. They didn't dare look at what their chef was doing, in case his ever watchful eyes caught theirs straying and a fate worse than death would await them.

It wasn't too long before the young boy returned, a steaming plate in his hand, to the girl who was nervously playing with her fingers and trying hard to silence her ever growling stomach. Her arms were crossed over one another, in a desperate attempt to silence the embarrassing, growling noises, her face a bright shade of red. The boy frowned at this, she must be starving. He placed the plate in front of the hungry girl, along with some bread and a glass of water. The girls' dark brown eyes widened in amazement, looking up at the boy from her seat in shock.

Head held high and arms crossed, his gaze narrowed suspiciously, "What?! This is what you wanted, didn't ya? I don't want you disturbing my cooks with your stomach soundin' like some dying whale!" he huffed, his blazing red eyes boring into the girl, trying to intimidate her. But it seemed the girl was completely fearless or oblivious to it as she sent him a look of wonderment.

Before the boy could react, she launched herself at him, wrapping her thin arms around his small neck as she cried into his shoulder. The boy was stunned, " _What the-! Wasn't she afraid of me? What's with this weird girl?"_ his thoughts were running wild, feeling the girl tighten her grip on him. How dare she be so bold and hug a boy she never saw before in her life? And why was she _crying_?! He _hated_ cry babies!

Staying still in the girl's arms, Ryou's voice was anything but pleased, "What the hell are you doing?!" he hastily but carefully pried the crying girl away from him, his shoulder already soaked with her tears. A look of surprise fleeted across his face as he saw her appreciative smile and watery eyes.

Her voice was slightly husky from her crying but her words were clear enough to understand, "T-thank you so much... Thank you a lot! I-I don't have any money but I can-"

The boy interrupted her sharply, his arms crossed over his chest in irritation, "Tch. I don't need money, especially not from you. Calm down, alright? You don't have to pay." he added in a slightly softer tone which made the girl blush and hug him again sideways, he glared sharply at his cooks who immediately turned their backs to the children. Ryou couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at the far too close proximity to this strange girl, but he wasn't one to randomly hit girls if they didn't hit him.

Their pub usually had two rules one _must_ follow if one wanted to be a customer and not get kicked out: have money to pay for their food and obey the chef's orders. If you didn't do one of those things, you were thrown out. Simple as that. But this girl…why did their chef allow her to actually _eat_ if she didn't have any money? It was most intriguing, perhaps the boy had gone soft?

"I…t-thank you. I…I didn't eat anything in days and I didn't know w-where to go anymore…" a look of understanding crossed the boys face for a brief second. He knew the feeling of going hungry for days very well. After all, he used to be in the same situation as this girl a few years back, before he fought his way to the top and practically lead the whole pub now.

It was a harsh world out there, especially for people whose talents weren't appreciated and ended up on the streets. In the culinary scene, it was a dog eat dog world and you don't get to the top without any scratches and battle scars.

The girl broke away from him and smiled, bowing deeply before she started eating, fast but tidy, not leaving any stains on herself or the table. He observed her from the side and silently admired her amount of self control, she must have been starving and yet she tried to eat as lady-like as possible while in a restaurant.

Releasing a noise akin to a grunt at the back of his throat, he left to work again, but observed her from a distance, making sure she was as comfortable as possible in a kitchen full of adult barbarian men and a hardened, swearing sailors.

The boy cook took her plate but was met with surprise as she took the plate from him back and washed it herself, struggling to reach the sink but with the help of one of the older cooks, managed to rinse off and clean the dish before drying it thoroughly with the fabric of her shirt. Shyly approaching a group of elder cooks, she handed them the empty, clean plate to one of the more friendlier cooks, who gave her a small smile and quickly went back to work when he saw his chef standing with his arms crossed, staring at them. The girl, now looking a lot happier and not anymore like a starved wolf, gave him a bright smile.

Her voice was filled with awe and adoration, eyes set on Ryou, "That was so good! How long are you cooking already?" she tilted her head to the side curiously.

The boy smirked proudly, "For over three years already. Fish is my specialty."

The girl's eyes were _glowing_ with curiosity, "So, you can do anything with fish?" the boy nodded with a grin.

She squealed in happiness, clapping her hands. The boy rose an eyebrow at her enthusiastic attitude before he went back to work.

...Only to stop in realization. This girl…she didn't have anywhere to go. By the looks of it, she must have been living in the streets.

Hell, surviving as a chef in the _kitchen_ was a matter of life or death but to live in the streets…it was just pure hell. If the young boy cook hadn't received help from a group of kind fishermen back then, he would have starved to death out in the cold, unforgiving streets of the little port town. It was a dog eat dog world and…sometimes you throw a bone to a stray dog when you yourself were once a stray.

"Hey you!" the girl turned around in surprise on her way to the exit, raising an eyebrow when the boy rushed towards her and grabbed her arm, a look of fear crossed her face before his bruising grip loosened, realizing the girl was frightened from his rough treatment. He would have to take a note on that.

The boy scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably, "Hey, I know what it's like living on the streets. And no one should go through that hell, so why don't you just stay here? I have a spare bed in my room for you to sleep in, I can cook your meals and teach you how to cook too. You won't go cold or hungry that way. And you can pay that way for living here,"

The girl blinked, staring at him owlishly. Ryou rose an eyebrow, blinking back, "What?"

She remained quiet for some time, "Stay here?" she looked around, "In your restaurant?"

Unsure of the girl's reaction, Ryou nodded, "Yeah,"

His eyes widened slightly when he noticed her eyes beginning to water- Tears again? _God damn it!_

"Um...b-but I can't cook and I don't have any money and-" Ryou growled, gripping her shoulders.

"Oi, I told you I would teach ya, didn't I? 'Sides, my men are more than capable of teaching you the basics before I teach you myself. Like I said, I have a spare bed, if you aren't afraid of a little dust and dirt on the floor," his expression showed his annoyance, feet apart and arms crossed, "Well? I ain't asking again-"

Suddenly, he found himself crushed by her arms again. She was hugging him again but more controlled this time, almost... _gently_. Her hands fisted the material of his dark shirt, and her face was buried against his shoulder, sobbing quietly as tremors wracked her small body.

"Y-you...you would do that for me?" before he could answer, her shaky voice called out again, "B-but why? Y-you don't know me, I don't have any money to pay you back and-and-" her shaking got worse, the hands holding his shirt trembled.

He grit his teeth, pulling her away from him so she looked into his eyes, "Doesn't matter. I'll get to know ya won't I? 'Sides…it ain't nice being the only kid here anyway...I guess," he gave her a very small smile, his features softening from his usual frown making appear like the little, innocent boy he was. The first smile he smiled in…well a long time.

The girl smiled back at him and cheered happily, "I have a friend!" _again_ , she hugged him.

And again, he pried her away from him, "Oi! Knock it off!" after making sure her hands were where he could see them, his gaze returned to hers, "What do you mean? Don't you have any friends?" the girl looked down solemnly at her worn shoes, shifting her weight.

"N-no...I don't." cursing under his breath, the boy sighed, gritting his teeth tightly.

Giving her a long look and already being sure he would regret this decision once the words left his mouth, he took a deep breath and forced the words out, "Uh…s-sure. I... guess we can be friends..." he smiled awkwardly, revealing sharp, white teeth.

The girl smiled timidly and for a moment he wondered how she could change from energetic and excited to timid and shy. She extended her small hand towards him then, her voice revealing just how happy she was, "Nice to meet you! My name is Lyca Ishikawa!" the boy contemplated her name, _"Lyca"_ he had heard that word from somewhere before, from the sailors of other countries and he was sure what it meant. ...Wolf, huh?

He smirked, he hoped she was as feisty as her namesake suggested.

The young, sharp eyed boy cook smirked at her in that feral fashion he was renowned for in his pub and shook her hand firmly, "My name is Ryou Kurokiba, I'm the head chef here,"

Lyca smiled.

 **Have mercy dear readers! First time writing a Shokugeki no Souma story! Don't worry it will get better (I hope so) this was just the start!**


	2. The She-Wolf

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Shokugeki no Souma or any of its characters!_**

 **Chapter 2: The She-Wolf**

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Ryou stared off into the distance, ignoring his milady's constant bickering with her cousin, Erina Nakiri. The God's Tongue turned her attention to him and chastised her cousin:" Alice, I can't believe you! You treat him like some dog! At least give him a break, he doesn't have to listen to our nonsense bickering!", Erina was embarrassed, Alice kept teasing her about a certain red headed cook.

Alice sighed heavily and said while waving her hand nonchalantly:" Alright, alright! Ryou, you can do whatever you want for the next three hours! My dear cousin and I have some spying to do!", the white haired Nakiri took her cousin by the arm and dragged her away, Erina all the while protesting at being handled so roughly and suddenly.

Ryou just shook his head at the two cousins and went on his merry way, his hands in his pockets as he headed towards the kitchen.

His eyes widened a fraction as his sharp nose picked up a spicy, delicious scent in the air, coming from the kitchen, which was only several feet away from him now. He rose an eyebrow in curiosity, before he walked towards it. His eyes narrowed slightly as he determined what spices were used and what meal that person was probably cooking.

There was curry, a healthy amount of it, peppers, salt, thyme, oregano, onions…

 _Onions? Thyme? Just what sort of dish is that cook preparing?_

Thyme was commonly used as a spice for soups and sauces…it wasn't often paired with onions, or curry for that matter, since the spices don't mix well together concerning the aroma. The curry would overpower the thyme.

Ryou opened the door to the kitchen, a barrage of different smells bombarding him all at once.

 _That could only mean that-!_ He found himself smirking as he saw just _who_ was preparing such a…intense meal. Aside from Yukihira and himself, as well as that spice bastard, he knew only one other person who intended to literally assault the taster's senses with their food.

He said:" Lyca.", while walking toward the female chef, who was wearing her cooking uniform, as opposed to her usual style of wearing pants, simple, mostly loose shirts and her trademark boots.

She was wearing her headgear, a long, dark red handkerchief, one he himself has gifted her while they were still children in that little port town in Denmark, a time before his milady Alice found them.

She turned around, a spoon in her hand as she was about to taste her cooking. Her brown eyes, usually warm and kind, were blazing with a fire that seemed to be inextinguishable as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Ryou, what are you doing here?", though her tone seemed calm, she was seething. _Nobody_ interrupted her while she was about to _eat_. Not even her oldest and closest friend Ryou.

"I've been nearby and smelled your cooking. Say, what have you cooked today hm?", he moved forward, unperturbed by the death glare she sent him as she tried burning a hole in his skull. He grinned when he saw what his friend was up to.

Bouillon, simple rice, curry with meat and diced pineapples, along with simple yet very beautifully decorated muffins. A unique combination indeed, he mused.

He rose an eyebrow as he commented:" I know you love to eat beef Bouillon due to its strong flavor but…curry? You never really liked curry before.", she rose a finger in the air as she pointed out:" Correction, I never really _cooked_ dishes with curry before but I have to expand my cooking field Ryou!",

"It's for the Autumn Elections isn't it?", he asked knowingly, he saw the slight tension in her shoulders at the mention of the Autumn Elections. They would be competing against each-other, against Yukihira and Hayama. Ryou still wasn't sure if they would compete against everyone or if they will work in pairs and compete as a group.

The young woman sighed, adding a little salt to her soup. She held out a plate to him as she ordered:" Try it.", he couldn't help but smirk, she sure was bossy when she had that headgear on. He took the fork from her and tried her food, letting the various flavors assault him for a moment before swallowing and assessing the used spices.

He was right, curry, salt, pepper, vegetable soup spices and very little parsley just for show as he looked at her dish. It was a deep yellow, the carrots adding a deeper tone to the usual bright yellow it would have become without it, you could see the evenly cut pieces of meat, the oval shaped carrots along with spring onions, cut diagonally just like the carrots. He licked his lips.

He nodded at her and said:" Good.", she understood his praise, it was delicious. Her eyes flashed at the poor praise and suddenly he found the sharp, gleaming edge of a knife close to his throat. Her eyes were blazing as she asked teasingly:" Good?", he smirked and wrapped his own head gear on. Two could play at this game.

He grinned menacingly and said:" _Good._ ", he expertly removed the knife from her grip and pointed it at her, though in no way intending to hurt her. They were playing, both were well aware of their dual personalities. However, with Lyca it wasn't as it was with Ryou. When you removed her headgear, she wouldn't "immediately" revert to her "usual" self just like Ryou, instead it would take her a few more seconds and she wasn't necessarily _only_ a aggressive, lethal wolf with her handkerchief on. When she tied the red handkerchief around her neck or forehead, it would take a while for the adrenaline rush from the Shokugeki to leave her.

She grinned, it looked feral with the way her eyes flashed, she moved close to him and said:" Aren't we bold today?", Ryou smirked and said:" Look who's talking.", she smirked, reaching back to remove his headband. However, her eyes widened slightly as she felt a strong, rough hand wrap around her handkerchief, which was tied around her neck, though she noticed how he was careful with gripping the cloth and not her delicate neck. She was pulled forward, close to him, their bodies pressing lightly as he grinned in that way that usually made everyone else quake in their boots, but not her.

She smiled back, both removed their handkerchiefs at the same time from each-other. Ryou's wild appearance reverted back to his usual self, his eyes still glinting with mischief as he handed Lyca her handkerchief back and took his from her.

He relented:" It was delicious. A touch too spicy I would say.", he knew she liked her food slightly spicier than most, though not by much. She smiled at him sweetly and said:" Thanks Ryou.", he nodded and they both ate together her cooking, Ryou noticed that she had prepared _two_ plates, _before_ he entered the kitchen.

His eyes shot to her own as he asked:" Were you expecting me?", she absentmindedly stared off in the distance before snapping her eyes to him as she answered in surprise:" Wha-? Oh! No, no I completely forgot! I actually planned to meet up with Souma!", she rubbed her forehead in irritation.

"Yukihira? Why?",

"I asked him to help me with determining how I could perfect my cooking while adding curry. You know, to hone my skills and be comfortable with using so many spices in my food.", Ryou was slightly displeased, he asked:" Why didn't you just come to me?",

He felt a tug at his heart, they were best friends, the closest. Why didn't she ask him for help? Why that Yukihira boy? She smiled at him and waved her hand as she said:" Oh, no, no Ryou. Alice told me that you had a busy day today so you didn't have much time.", he felt his eye twitch in annoyance.

He was going to kill Alice.

"Oh, Kurokiba, you're here too?", both cooks turned their heads sharply, startled out of their conversation. Ah, his rival arrived.

Lyca smiled as she stood up and hugged the young cook, both of them grinning happily. She said:" Ah, Souma! There you are! Uh…I'm sorry I completely forgot that you were coming and Ryou came and then…yeah. I will fill you another plate!", she winked and quickly rushed to the cabinets.

"No, no it's alright Lyca. Really. I've been caught up with Tadokoro because she had trouble with the ingredients.", he looked at Ryou and nodded:" Kurokiba.",

"Yukihira.", the other cook nodded back in greeting. His eyes narrowed as he asked:" So, you're helping out Lyca huh?", the redhead nodded and said:" Yeah, she said you were busy with Alice so she asked me instead. Is that a problem?", if Ryou didn't know any better he would have thought the guy had ulterior motives, but he knew Yukihira wasn't that type of guy, so he just replied:" None at all.", he watched Lyca as she filled a plate for the redhead.

Lyca leaned against the counter, watching Souma taste her dish. She realized of course that it wasn't anything grand or special but she had a little secret which only Ryou, Souma and Alice know about, she had low self-esteem. It was a different story when she wore her handkerchief and when she cooked, just like for Ryou, the kitchen was a battlefield, a battlefield which could quickly turn into a blood bath if one wasn't considerate of the chef's cooking style and let his mouth run loose.

"Lyca, do you mind accompanying me later on?", the young woman looked at him curiously, cocking her head to the side in confusion. She asked:" Where to Souma?",

He grinned as he crossed his arms and answered:" I was thinking on going to the market and looking at some new ingredients, if you have the time. Megumi said she would stay at the dorm and work on her cooking.", his hand went to the back of his head as he scratched the spot in embarrassment.

Lyca smiled brightly and said:" Alright, that's fine with me.", she offered a smile at Ryou as well, who looked uninterested save for the brief twitch of his eye, indicating his annoyance.

Lyca didn't think too much on it, perhaps he was annoyed because Alice didn't have time? She didn't know, but she would make sure to have a Shokugeki with him once she returned.

Little did she know that the fish specialist was irritated over the fact that she went to the market with Yukihira and not him, her closest friend. He was better company after all. Hands stuffed in his pockets, he aimed for the exit, before Lyca stood in front of him, a pout on her lips.

"What's wrong Ryou?", she asked suspiciously, hands on her hips. He looked into her eyes before averting her piercing gaze and mumbling:" Have to train.", and leaving the room.

The kitchen was silent as Lyca contemplated her friends behavior, she wasn't about to allow her friend to be upset, she excused herself from Soma and went after him.

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 ** _Well….the end for this chapter. How was it? I realize I made Ryou a bit more talkative and "friendly" than he usually is, but this IS his childhood friend and they are even closer than him and Alice! As you noticed, he shared a rivalry with Soma (just like in the anime) but Soma's feelings on the matter remain hidden, for now ;) Please review and tell me how you liked it! Thank you very much for all the previous reviews!_**


	3. Training, Spying and Cooking

**Hey guys! Back again, thank you all for the reviews!**

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 **Answer to the Guest review: I know what you mean, I had trouble deciding on a name really. (Yup, derived from the greek word which stands for "wolf" or "werewolf". I wanted something to clash with Ryou's mad "dog" persona.) At first I thought to name her Olivia or simply a Japanese name, but then I decided that her story should be a bit more complex than that, since almost all the other characters are Japanese too. As for living in a port town in Denmark, that doesn't necessarily mean she was** ** _born_** **there. Just a little hint to her backstory! ;) But thank you a lot for your review, I know where you're coming from. As for Ryou being found by Alice in Denmark…well, I'm not too sure either.**

 **Chapter 3: Training, Spying and Cooking**

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The young woman sighed heavily, she was Ryou's closest friend, but sometimes she didn't understand his sudden mood swings at all.

She touched the back of her neck unconsciously, the annoying habit having stuck with her for years. She kept trying to resist the urge to touch her neck whenever she was embarrassed, deep in thought or sometimes at random times but it was no use. It was one of the smaller reasons why she liked tying her handkerchief, a gift from Ryou from their younger days, around her neck. Whenever she felt the fabric of her handkerchief her mind was immediately set on cooking, which meant she had no _time_ to be nervous or embarrassed and that forced her mind to work like a good oiled machine.

She sometimes wished she also had a dual personality like Ryou, well it was…slightly worrisome when people that didn't know him so well observed how his personality reverted back like a switch but she guessed everyone had a "different" attitude when they were cooking. While she didn't exactly share the same views as her friend, that chefs who had a good relationship with other chefs would never make it to the top, she did view the kitchen as a battlefield, merciless. Unforgiving. The losers would be kicked out, no mercy shown.

She finally reached Ryou's room and didn't bother to knock, hell they know each-other for years already, it wasn't like he had anything to hide from her.

Well, at least she _thought_ so _before_ she entered his room. Her mind turned blank in a second as she saw her childhood friend, a young man now, almost training naked, sweating and heaving heavy weights.

She swallowed hard, digging her nails into her hands. Not like she never saw a shirtless male before, she kept trying to repeat that mantra as she slowly closed the door and approached him, bending over his head as he laid flat on his back.

He noticed her of course, at her annoyed pout, he smirked and continued heaving the metal weights up and down, the muscles in his arms straining against his slightly tan skin tone. She fought hard to focus her eyes on his face, _not_ on his half naked body.

"Training huh?", he grunted in response. So talkative was her friend. She sighed in exasperation and placed a hand on the steel bar, between the two weights on either side of it, not pressing down but just keeping it there to stop him from training and instead focus on her.

He glared at her but that didn't deter nor scare her one bit, Alice and her were the only two people who weren't afraid of that glare. He was such a stubborn guy. She crossed her arms as she righted herself and said sharply:" Spill.",

"What?", his tone was calm, but she knew better. She said a bit more forcefully:" Ryou, I know Souma and you aren't the best of friends, but if you have something to tell me, then _tell_ me.", in their younger days she was known for her quick temper, thankfully she managed to tame that side. Though sometimes she just couldn't help but get annoyed easily, especially over him.

Her foot tapped impatiently against the floor, Ryou's red eyes looked at her tapping foot then up at her face. He frowned and stood up, going over to his bed to wipe the sweat off his neck and chest. He said, still not looking at her:" Could you wipe my back off for me?", Lyca rolled her eyes and complied, taking the towel from him.

He presented his back to her as she gently wiped the sweat off him, she pressed:" So?", Ryou sighed and said:" I'm not busy.", she smiled, staring at his back fondly. She said:" Well, Megumi still needs help with cooking so I think Souma wouldn't mind too much if I tell him you will come with me instead of him. Besides, your senses are sharper, Souma hasn't been to the market that often.", an affirmative grunt.

She teased with a smirk:" So, is the mad dog still mad at me?", he turned around and his face remained impassive she could see he wasn't annoyed anymore. Good.

"Next time I'll make you beg wolf princess.", she stuck her tongue out at him playfully and he threw the sweat soaked towel directly in her face. She frantically ripped it off and complained loudly with a disgusted expression on her face:" Ugh! Ryou! Come on, that's disgusting! Your sweats all over the towel!", she glared at him, her eyes flashing briefly. He just whistled as he disappeared inside his small bathroom to change.

Just as a few minutes passed and he opened the door to walk out, she slapped the towel on his face. He lifted a hand to remove the dirty towel, throwing it in the basket before he glared at her, he lightly shouldered her as they left his room and walked towards the cafeteria.

"Alice should be back by now, shouldn't she?", Lyca asked curiously with a tilt of her head. Ryou shrugged saying:" Milady Alice and milady Erina are still…spying so I doubt they will return soon.", Lyca nodded, giggling at the prospect of Alice dragging Erina to do some "spying" on whoever was unfortunate enough to awaken their interest.

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"Oh my…", Erina whispered to her cousin as the two observed the duo walking in the direction of the cafeteria, having waited with baited breath out in the corridor as they decided that Lyca was taking _far too long_ in Ryou's room.

"Well, well, well isn't this interesting Erina? This calls for a intensive investigation!", the white haired Nakiri announced, her eyes cartoonish as she giggled and rubbed her hands together at the many plans forming in her overactive imagination. Erina sighed heavily and said:" Now, Alice don't do anything you might regret-",

"Oh no, no! I've been watching them for years! They are both stubborn and sometimes behave like the beasts their nicknames suggest, but I WILL accomplish my mission!", she grabbed Erina's arm and skipped happily, strangely unnoticed, towards the cafeteria.

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Megumi Tadokoro smiled and waved as her good friend, Lyca and Ryou approached their table with their full plates. It was paste theme tonight, in order words spaghetti. Nothing fancy but nonetheless very delicious.

"Lyca! Long time no see! Here you can-", she stopped, noticing Ryou and his intimidating appearance, she still retained that fear even after their Shokugeki. She stuttered the ending:" –s-sit here. Um….K-Kurokiba…err h-have a seat as w-well!", she bowed, apologizing for her stuttering.

While her shy demeanor annoyed Ryou, he nodded politely nonetheless, it caused Lyca to develop a warm, almost motherly smile on her face at the shy girl. She liked Megumi a lot, she was determined and cooked quite good despite her shyness. She was also a good listener and a good, helpful friend.

Lyca frowned slightly as she thought back on her parents…she didn't really remember them, not really anyway. She knew her father was Japanese, but her mother wasn't. She remembered that her mother originally came from Canada, but they went on a long vacation to Greece, so she was told, and as they were visiting various museums and her father tried mastering the art of the Greek cuisine, her mother had come up with the name "Lyca", which stands for "wolf". She never knew why she was named so, she remembered faintly how her mother used to be quite feisty and rather short tempered, while her father was the calmer of the two. Perhaps she thought her daughter would also be like that? Feisty like a wolf? She shook her head.

She grasped the necklace hidden by her black sleeveless shirt, it wasn't anything special really. It was a stone, the yin yang symbol to be more precise. A symbol for balance. Lyca was anything _but_ balanced. She snorted softly at the irony.

She was startled from her train of thoughts as she felt a warm, calloused hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently to gain her attention. Ryou was looking at her, his face impassive, but she saw the slight concern in his red eyes. She smiled, letting him know everything was fine. He frowned, not believing her but Ikumi asked Lyca a question, she wanted to know how she was progressing with her cooking, particularly with spices.

"I'm progressing well I suppose. Though I need someone to taste and determine how much spices I should use and what could be used. Particularly meat, vegetables and salmon.", Ikumi perked up with shining eyes the minute she heard the word "meat", her food forte.

The blonde grinned and said:" Naw Lyca! You know you can always give me a call when you need help with-", Ryou suddenly interrupted:" She already asked me to help her.",

The table fell into silence, Souma, who usually actively participated in their discussions, fell silent as his eyes were trained on Ryou and Lyca. Ikumi settled back into her chair as she said:" Oh. Alright then.", Lyca looked at Ryou briefly and smiled, nudging him lightly with her knee. His response was an equally gentle nudge back.

"Say, Lyca, Kurokiba have you guys seen Nakiri anywhere?", Lyca answered with a hand rubbing her chin:" Erina? Well, she's with Alice….somewhere.", she smiled uneasily.

Souma rose an eyebrow in curiosity and asked:" Oh? Guess I'll have to search her out, I prepared a real good dish she has to try! I bet she will say again that it's "adequate" where she actually wants to say it's delicious!", he grinned widely.

Megumi giggled with a hand to her mouth, Ikumi crossed her arms and said with a light blush on her tan skin:" Well, you know Yukihira, I could also taste your food for you…", she turned her head away in embarrassment and Lyca couldn't help but smirk at the hidden affection she had for the redhead.

"Thanks Mikumi but I wanna rile Nakiri up when she tasted my food! Haven't teased her in a while.", from somewhere behind them a "shut up!" could be heard, the group searched everywhere for the sound of the voice.

"Huh? Was that Nakiri just now? I could have sworn I heard her…", he scratched the back of his head in confusion while Ryou and Lyca shared suspicious looks with each-other.

She leaned in close to Ryou and whispered in his ear:" Do you think what I'm thinking? Perhaps Alice and Erina are spying on someone from our group, maybe even Souma. We heard her just now, there's no way it wasn't Erina.", Ryou in turn leaned in close to her, his hot breath on her ear sending light shivers down her spine as he whispered:" Perhaps. Let's investigate later.", she nodded as she ignored the shivers.

"What are you two lovebirds whispering about hmm?", the meat specialist asked as she crossed her arms and sent them a suggestive grin.

Lyca fought down a blush as she said:" N-nothing…We aren't lovebirds!", she sent a embarrassed glare in Ikumi's direction, but the blonde simply sent her a wink.

Once the group finished their meal, they each separated into their dorms, except Lyca and Ryou. Lyca stretched her arms above her head and suggested:" Hey Ryou, why don't we rob the kitchen? I saw a tasty mousse au chocolat in the fridge.", she grinned with a twinkle in her eye, she had a sweet tooth. In fact, she really liked to eat in general.

Ryou couldn't help but smirk slightly, it was barely noticeable but Lyca saw he was up for it. She grinned as she practically skipped ahead of him, he chuckled when he saw her jumping and skipping all the way to the kitchen. He felt a warm feeling in his chest as the cold dessert slid down his throat, he usually didn't eat with Alice like this.

This was just between him and Lyca, their own private time, where nobody judged them or watched them with a critical eye. The world of cooking was a tough one indeed, for Ryou it was eat or be eaten, for Lyca it was following her dreams and not losing sight of her goal.

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 **Sooo….liked it? I tried adding a little something to Lyca's past, however after certain scenes in later chapters you will see she hasn't gone unscarred from her past. Please review!**


	4. The Wolf meets the Heatmaster

**Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter (bows dramatically)! Thank you sincerely for those who take their time to read my stories and review, seriously.**

 **I know life can get too much and that people like to immerse themselves in stories (not necessarily fanfiction) to take a breather and shut down the real world for a while. So, I hope my stories help you relax and shut down the real world for a while! (wide grin)**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own Shokugeki no Souma, all I own is my OC Lyca Ishikawa!_**

 **Chapter 4: The Wolf meets The Heatmaster**

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The following early morning the Polar Star occupants ate their breakfast as they talked about the upcoming autumn elections and what they still needed to work on. Lyca giggled at Megumi's fits of panic as she tried to calm the younger girl:" Megumi, please don't be so stressed. You'll make it, I'm sure of that. You are a skilled cook, all you need to do is get rid of your nervousness. Anxiety just hinders the mind to think clearly and then you make mundane mistakes that could have been avoided.", the blue haired girl sighed heavily as she slumped against her seat, she said:" B-but L-Lyca! W-w-we have P.E. today w-w-with H-Hayama a-and t-the cooks from C-Central.",

"What?", Lyca asked sharply, her eyes narrowing into near slits at hearing that. It sounded weird, but Tootsuki was still a academy, even if it was a _culinary_ academy, so they needed to keep their students fit by doing P.E. twice a week. And it seemed this time, those bastards from Central will join them too. It was weird, maybe Senzaemon Nakiri had a hand in this, he always liked new complicated situations that had a high chance of resulting in chaos. She shook her head, no…the old man wasn't like that, he was strict and expected great things from his students but he wasn't a cruel man. He was famously known as the "Food's Demon King" but he was anything but a demon, he was a loving family man and led Tootsuki with a iron hand.

Perhaps it was Azami Nakiri, the _new_ headmaster of Tootsuki as of late, he was a truly sinister character, better to be avoided. Lyca shivered in discomfort at the thought of the intimidating, dark man. After being expelled from Tootsuki by Senzaemon himself, he created Central to keep in contact with Tootsuki and possibly have an eye on his daughter Erina.

Central… a organization run by Tootsuki students handpicked by Azami Nakiri himself, they dictated what the students of Tootsuki should cook, they write the rules…most members are from the Elite Ten Council. For example, the current best female student, Rindo Kobayashi, a 2nd seat of the Elite Ten. Lyca didn't necessarily dislike her, she was just suspicious of her motives. She wasn't exactly hostile towards them, she was the more…socially acceptable and cheerful one from the Elite Ten, excluding Dojima and Isshiki of course. However she wasn't directly supportive of them either, which made her motives unclear altogether.

Lyca sighed heavily and said:" It's best if we just concentrate on P.E. If we focus too much on them they will take advantage of our weaknesses Megumi and we definitely don't want that.", she narrowed her eyes as she said:" As for Hayama, he won't be a problem, I think. I heard he's a nice guy…if you don't insult his cooking skills and spices that is.", she winked with a giggled, which relaxed Megumi slightly.

Souma crossed his arms and said:" Tch, Hayama is a tough one. That guy always holds his nose up in the air and thinks he's the best with his spices and all. I say today we show him who's the best in P.E.!", the Polar Star residents cheered, it was childish but they still went along with it. Lyca smiled and said:" Uh, Souma. I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry but that Ryou said he had time to go with me to the fisher market, since his senses are sharper…", she smiled in embarrassment, to her surprise the redhead smiled and replied calmly:" Ah, I see. So, Kurokiba's going with you? That's fine by me, I guess another time then huh Lyca?", he gave her a friendly grin. She nodded and smiled, glad he wasn't angry.

The group met up later with Ryou, Alice and Erina. Souma grinned as he waved at the trio:" Oi! Nakiri, long time no see.", Erina froze briefly before she crossed her arms and said:" Tch…Yukihira, don't greet like we are longtime friends or anything!", Alice just giggled at her cousin's outburst.

"Well, I'll have to be going! I have a busy appointment guys, I'll come back later! Ryou, be a good boy will you?", she patted his head as if he was a dog and Lyca giggled at the display. Souma looked at Alice suspiciously but chose not to comment. Weird...

Ryou's and Lyca's gazes met and Lyca smiled at him, she asked him as she watched Erina and Souma bicker with each-other again:" So, did you hear with whom we have P.E. today?", the young seafood expert looked at her in confusion before she answered his unspoken question:" With Central.", Ryou's red eyes widened a fraction but otherwise he showed no reaction.

"Why with them all of a sudden?", Lyca knew he was suspicious as well, she shrugged and said:" Don't know, but it will be interesting to experience hm?", Ryou frowned, shaking his head. He sensed trouble and his senses were almost never wrong.

The Aldini twins arrived as well, Takumi, again, challenging Souma to their future Shokugeki, with the redheaded cook agreeing with a fiery and confident spirit. Everyone retreated to the kitchens to compete in small Shokugeki's with each-other until P.E. finally arrived.

The girls and boys separated to change into their respective changing rooms, Lyca and Ryou shared a look before they each went into their own changing room. As the girls changed, Ikumi commented:" Those Central bastards are a pain in the ass! Why do we have to train with them anyway?!", the busty blonde growled as she changed into a low cut bikini top and short shorts.

The God's Tongue sighed in displeasure as she pulled on a simple white shirt, she commented with a serious expression on her face:" We will have to be careful, if we show our discomfort to them Central will only use it to their advantage, we can't allow that to happen.", Ryoko tied her hair into a pony tail as she said:" In any case, we should stick together. Central will no doubt try to separate us and chew us out individually. This won't be just a normal training program with them I bet.", Lyca could only agree.

* * *

They finished changing and went outside, the bright sun and relatively warm temperature feeling like just the thing they needed. Lyca smiled as Ryou and the other guys emerged from the changing rooms, Ryou was wearing his black, sleeveless muscle shirt again. Lyca commented:" Ryou, are you never hot in black?", the young man shrugged. Obviously not.

Souma said, his voice an octave deeper and more serious:" Here they come.", Isami and Takumi glared at the large group coming their way. Central…

Etsuya Eizan , Rindo Kobayashi, Momo Akanegakubo, Rentaro Kusunoki….just to name a few of the bastards. Though with Rindo the group wasn't sure how to act around as she waved at them with a smile, her cat-like eyes twinkling not only in friendliness but also mischief.

Eizan had immediately fixed Souma with a cold, murderous glare. Ever since Souma beat him in their Shokugeki for saving the Polar Star dormitory, Eizan had been keeping a closer eye on him. Souma returned the glare though his was cooler, composed. Erina unconsciously stepped forward, as if attempting to protect her friends from them, but Souma stopped her with his arm. He whispered:" Don't.", she frowned, Lyca narrowed her eyes at Shigemichi Kumai, the large, intimidating young man's eyes roving up and down her body. She shivered in discomfort, until Ryou stepped in front of her, blocking his view. With his hands in his pockets he said:" I would ask you to stop staring, it's making my partner uncomfortable.", Kumai growled, deep and low, towering over Ryou easily. He said gruffly:" You're standing in my way.", Ryou's usually passive, almost bored eyes, turned into hard red slits, the atmosphere around him growing heated. He glared right into the bigger man's eyes as he said:" My apologies, but I think _you're_ standing in my way.".

It seemed Kumai had been preparing to get physical with Ryou if he continued to make trouble, but then Rentaro Kusunoki appeared beside his friend, he smiled but it wasn't a kind smile, it rather served to make the girls around them uncomfortable. He said:" Ah, don't worry about Shigemichi here. He's a nice guy, as long as he…doesn't get provoked.", Lyca squared her shoulders, trying to appear calm and collected while internally she was slightly apprehensive of their close proximity, especially to Ryou.

"Why don't you go to Etsuya? Seems like he could use some company.", the large man grunted, he glared at Ryou one last time before his large form moved away from them. Ryou's shoulders were still tense, as if he was preparing to ready himself for a battle. Rentaro grinned and said while looking over Ryou's shoulder:" Well, hello there young lady! I don't think we have been introduced have we now?", he made a turn around Ryou, who stiffened even more. Lyca's actions were cautious but the man didn't seem as intimidating as his friend.

She shook the hand that he offered her and replied:" Hello, my name is Lyca Ishikawa. And you are?", the man with the weird hairstyle grinned and said with a flourish:" Only the best cook in the field of heating! My name is Rentaro Kusunoki, a professional with any cooking style and the master of heating and temperature control around the kitchen!", he grinned charmingly, kissing the back of her hand. She pulled her hand back slowly, alarm bells slowly ringing in her ears. This guy spelled trouble, just like their whole gang did.

"By the way, my sincerest apologies that my friend has intimidated you with his staring. He…hasn't been around many pretty girls like you and his social skills aren't the best.", he smiled with a hand on the back of his head. Lyca smiled forcefully as she said:" Oh no, no that's…that's alright I suppose. It just startled me.", Ryou watched the man carefully, his face wasn't as murderous as it was a minute ago, but Lyca saw his muscles were tense.

Souma suddenly said loud enough for everyone to hear:" Since we are already outside why don't we start with training?", thankfully, everyone agreed, some more eager than others, anything to disperse the tense atmosphere. They felt like a pack of wolves, defending their territory from an enemy pack who tried to claim it.

The girls stuck together as they ran around the block in a wide circle while the guys decided to do some pushups and play basketball. Souma, Takumi, Isami, Shoji, Daigo, Marui, Shun and Ryou talked quietly with each-other. Daigo said with his fist clenched:"Have you seen that big guy eyeing the girls up? That's disgusting man! We should teach him a lesson!", Shoji could only agree with his friend, glaring discreetly at the Central guys. Souma crossed his arms in thought as he said:" Let's not get worked up over this, the girls know how to defend themselves and if they try anything we are here. Isshiki should arrive soon too, they wouldn't try anything with him here. Though if you ask me I'm more worried about Eizan and that Kusunoki guy.", Ryou nodded, fixing the heat specialist with a sidelong glare as he noticed his eyes following Lyca around as she ran with the girls.

Marui shivered and said:" T-they are really scary. They looked like they want to kill us with a single glare!", Isami crossed his arms and said:" Isshiki mentioned something about Eizan being a Yankee. I suppose Central is something like his gang. Though not everyone follows him around.", Takumi agreed with his brother, his expression dark and angry as he kept a watchful eye on their enemies.

"Let's do this guys!", Souma grinned and they formed a team to play against Central, basketball time. Shun passed the ball to Daigo, who ran as fast as he could to the enemies' hoop. He attempted to do a slam dunk, but then he was brutally pushed away by Shigemichi, who took the ball from him and ran in the opposite direction.

"What the-! Daigo!", Souma shouted as the boys ran over to him, Daigo slowly stood up, holding his side in pain. He sent them a weak smile and said:" Don't worry guys…I-I'm ok.", he took several long breaths of air. Souma growled as he glared at Central, who only smiled smugly in return. Takumi said:" Let's teach them a lesson.", Shun placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, telling him it was not a good idea.

"We should watch each-other's backs and be careful. They may have more dirty tricks up their sleeves.", Isami commented as he dribbled the ball on the floor, running towards Central's hoop. Souma and Ryou ran on either side of him, Shun and the poor, panting Marui at the back in case Central got the ball and Takumi on the right side near the hoop. Isami passed the ball to Souma, who side stepped Eizan as he dived for the ball and passed it to Ryou. Ryou dodged swiftly their assaults as he jumped high and scored three points for his team.

"Kurokiba, you did it!", Souma cheered as the two rivals and friends high fived, the Aldini twins grinned and clapped him on the back. Marui's soul was about to leave him again as the boy was exhausted from all the running around, Shoji noticed it and shoved his soul back into him as he said:" Oh no you don't. We still need ya Marui so keep it together.", he patted the small, frail boy on the back. The game continued that way, Souma's team had scored thirty points and Central had twenty-seven. Rentaro smirked evilly, it seemed like Central had something planning.

Ryoko almost jumped when Rindo, the 2nd seat of the Elite Ten, suddenly appeared beside her with a wide smile. She said:" Hi there!", Ryoko looked at her slightly suspiciously as she said:" Hi…", the slightly older girl smiled and asked:" So, how are you guys?", she directed the question at all the Polar star girls. Erina placed her hands on her hips and asked:" What is it you're planning Rindo?", she wasn't afraid of the Elite Ten, if then the Elite Ten should be afraid of _her_. The redhead pouted and said:" I don't know what you mean, me and the girls aren't planning anything. Though I advise you to keep an eye on Eizan and the others.", she glanced at the boys a few feet away who were playing basketball.

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 **Cliffhanger! Sorry, if I continued writing the chapter would have been too long! I'll update soon I promise!** **J** **Please review and tell me what you think of the tense situation between Central and the Polar Star dormitory!**


	5. Licking Your Wounds

**Back again! Told ya it wouldn't take long! :D Well, the situation was getting tense as the Polar Star members found themselves having physical exercises with none other than Central! Central is known for playing dirty, especially Eizan, what do you think what tricks they will use to gain the upper hand? Stay tuned and enjoy reading!**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Shokugeki no Souma or any of the characters EXCEPT my OC Lyca!**_

 **Chapter 5: Licking Your Wounds**

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 _Ryoko almost jumped when Rindo, the 2_ _nd_ _seat of the Elite Ten, suddenly appeared beside her with a wide smile. She said:" Hi there!", Ryoko looked at her slightly suspiciously as she said:" Hi…",_

 _The slightly older girl smiled and asked:" So, how are you guys?", she directed the question at all the Polar star girls. Erina placed her hands on her hips and asked:" What is it you're planning Rindo?", she wasn't afraid of the Elite Ten, if then the Elite Ten should be afraid of her._

 _The redhead pouted and said:" I don't know what you mean, me and the girls aren't planning anything. Though I advise you to keep an eye on Eizan and the others.", she glanced at the boys a few feet away who were playing basketball._

Ikumi asked with crossed arms and a cocked hip:" You threatened our positions. Thanks to the bastard Azami we have you breathing down on our necks.", the meat specialist glared at the small group of girls, Momo hugged her bear tighter, though she didn't say anything.

Megumi looked on in concern as Erina stiffened slightly at hearing her father's name, Rindo frowned and said:" I can't say that I like Azami but he gave us an opportunity to grow and challenge ourselves, he also gave you an opportunity to test your mettle. Instead of seeing us as a threat, look at us like practice dummies.", Yuki and the others narrowed their eyes in confusion.

"You can have Shokugeki's against us, though be careful if you're betting on something because Eizan and especially Kusunoki are merciless as you've probably seen the Shokugeki against Yukihira. You see the difference it skills, that motivates a lot of Tootsuki members to hone their skills and try to beat us and thus make room for _new_ council members.",

One of them looked like she wanted to protest heavily against the idea of losing her position, but one sharp glare from Rindo silenced her. Megumi and Ryoko shared a look, the blue haired girl playing nervously with her fingers.

Erina crossed her arms and fixated Rindo with a glare, she said:" You're playing innocent but if you're trying to intimidate us then I suggest you-",

"Ryou! Souma!", Shoji and Daigo shouted from the other side of the court. The girls all looked towards the boys and their eyes widened in horror, there was a fight. And it looked like their group was losing.

The girls quickly rushed to the scene and saw Ryou trading blows with Kusunoki, Souma blocking some punches from Eizan and the Aldini Twins trying to overwhelm the large Shigemichi.

Lyca shouted as she ran towards Ryou:" Ryou! Stop!", she grabbed onto his bare arm, holding him back with all her strength. She saw how Erin and Ryoko rushed towards Souma, Rindo suddenly ran straight at Eizan and slapped him hard across the face.

She said with a deathly undertone:" Just what do you think you're doing Eizan? Picking a fight with the minors? Have you no shame at all?", the man looked like he would strike her but she interrupted his rant:" Azami won't let this go unpunished you fool! And what about old man Senzaemon? He will kill you for picking a fight with Yukihira and his granddaughters dorm! The other Nakiri will surely beat you up personally for injuring her aide.", she looked at the beat up Polar Star members.

She noted with a weird sense of satisfaction as Eizan, Kusunoki and the other males looked equally beat up. They delivered just as good as they got it seemed.

Erina and Megumi helped Souma up from the ground as the God's Tongue said sharply:" I suggest you leave immediately, unless you want to anger me and have my grandfather breathing down on your necks.",

Rindo understood the threat and pulled Eizan along, the others following her without backtalk. Though Rentaro stopped and suddenly grabbed Lyca's arm forcefully as her back was turned to him to tend to Ryou, she yelped in pain and shouted:" What the-! Let me go!", Megumi and Ryoko stood up in alarm.

"You can try to hide but you can't run Ishikawa. I know about your old man, he was a traitor to the culinary world, a scumbag. It was a good thing he died, no? What sane cook would willingly give his five toque restaurant (AN: _"toque"_ (white) hat worn by chefs, in this context it means a point ranking system for restaurants rated by Gault Millau) to his rival for the sake of saving his daughter? He could have been the greatest chef of all! But he chose his family over his career!", Lyca's eyes widened in horror as images of her past flashed before her mind.

Rentaro smirked evilly, a sinister grin on his face as he pulled her closer by her arm forcefully. That is until a strong hand clamped around his wrist with an iron grip, making him hiss in pain. Rentaro glared at Ryou, who glared at him with murderous intent as he said in a deep, rough voice:" Let her go.", he usually used that tone when he had his bandanna on. But the bandanna was still tied to his wrist.

Lyca grit her teeth as Rentaro tightened his grip in response. Ryou growled and forcefully pried away his hand, he stood in between them now, Lyca fell to the ground as she was pried away. Ryoko, Megumi and Yuki were at her side almost immediately, inspecting the damage done to her wrist. Ryou said as Souma and the Aldini twins came next to him:" Leave before I follow my instincts and make you pay for touching her.",

Rentaro Kusunoki smirked, his bruised wrist tucked into his pants pocket as he waved with his good hand and said:" This isn't over yet Kurokiba, Yukihira. After the Autumn Elections, you're done for.", it sounded like a promise and a threat as the Polar Star members glared at the retreating Central.

The boys were still standing in front of their fallen friends before Ryou turned around and kneeled beside Lyca, he asked concerned:" Are you alright Lyca?", his red eyes softened when he saw her red upper arm.

He grit his teeth as Souma said:" We will make them pay Kurokiba but not with our fists.", Ryou nodded. He said without looking at Souma:" Go and clean up Yukihira.", he was referring to the bruises and small cuts the young man sustained while fighting and blocking Eizan's blows.

Souma's jaw ached badly but he ignored it as he said seriously:" Kurokiba you go clean up too. The bastard hit you good.", Shoji and Daigo shared a concerned look as they helped Marui stand up, Takumi said:" I suggest we all go freshen up and then eat something to calm us. We will discuss this matter later in the dorm.", everyone nodded.

Erina was suddenly at Souma's side, wrapping his good arm around her shoulders as she supported his weight. His wide, yellow eyes looked at her in surprise before she snapped in embarrassment:" S-shut up Y-Yukihira! This doesn't mean a-anything! As the granddaughter of Tootsuki's former headmaster it's my duty to help my students!", the young man sent her a warm smile and said while patting her head affectionately:" You mean it's your duty to your friends Erina.", it was one of rare times when Souma called her by her name and that made the young woman blush.

She turned her head away as Ryoko and Yuki shared a knowing look and giggled. Ikumi was silently steaming with jealous while crossing her arms in embarrassment, Megumi helped Shun along with his limp. The beaten up Polar Star members dragged themselves forward.

Ryou insisted he walked on his own even if he was all beat up, he didn't want to be "dead last" to Lyca. He was limping, his arms were bloodied and bruised, his shirt was torn at one side, exposing his muscular pectoral which was a faint red, his jaw had a bright red mark as well as his cheek. Lyca growled and stood in front of him, blocking his path. He sent her a weak glare, telling her without words to move but she stood her ground. God, she was stubborn.

She said:" Ryou, you're hurt. I know you have your "mad dog" reputation to uphold and everything but everyone is injured and Souma is also allowing Erina to help him. So please…it's the least I can do.", Ryou looked at her in surprise before he turned his head away and his body slackened in defeat, reluctantly.

Lyca sent him a soft smile and moved under his heavy arm, wrapping it around her so she supported half his weight. The two close friends slowly made their way towards the changing rooms, not feeling the need to rush anything.

"Ryou?", Lyca questioned as she felt him slightly stagger, but he regained his footing and said:" I'm sorry, I'm alright now.", the brunette sighed and softly nudged his chin with the tip of her nose.

He looked down at her in surprise, she smiled warmly and said:" Even the toughest and strongest fall sometimes. But you know what makes them strong?", Ryou waited patiently as Lyca continued:" Their will. Their will to stand up again after being beaten down, the will to continue and prove everyone who doubted them wrong so they could shine the brightest in the end.",

Her eyes shone as she said:" Souma has that iron will, as do you.". She shook her head softly and said while looking forward:" I believe in you. I believe you will beat Central, there's no doubt you won't. I know they are strong, but you are strong too and I know you will do your best.".

Lyca blinked as she felt the arm which hung loosely across her shoulders suddenly wrapped around her, pulling her close to his side. Her head was tucked under his chin, she felt the vibrations as Ryou spoke softly:" What that Kusunoki bastard said…don't let his words get to you. He has no idea what the hell he's talking about. Your father was an honorable man as was your mother, they both died so you had a chance to shine. It wasn't your fault alright?",

Lyca blinked, once, twice. Before Ryou noticed with dismay how her eyes glistened with unshed tears, she quickly turned her head and said:" T-thank you Ryou…", she wrapped one arm around his middle, hugging him to say thank you. Ryou reflexively hugged her closer, ignoring the stinging pain it brought to his wounds.

Both turned their heads when they heard someone clearing their throat. It was Isshiki. He gave them an apologetic smile as he said:" I want to sincerely apologize for not arriving sooner. I had no idea what was going on, I got called in at the last minute for some official Elite Ten business before I could get here.",

His eyes scanned Ryou's hunched form as he said:" Go and get fixed up, both of you. I'll deal with Central.", despite his friendly smile, Lyca and Ryou could sense a threatening aura surrounding him, he was angry. Furious. His close friends got hurt, by Central no less, most of which were from the Elite Ten, a group which _he_ was part of. He wasn't going to let that one slide.

Lyca smiled softly and said:" It's alright Isshiki, please take care of the others. I'll take care of Ryou.", the older man smiled and nodded before leaving the two friends alone again.

Lyca sighed as she helped Ryou inside the boys changing room, she called before entering:" Hey guys! Cover your lady bits! I'm going in!", Ryou shook his head and chuckled.

She warily opened the door and saw the guys were mostly dressed, Souma and Takumi were the only ones still shirtless but thankfully their pants were on. Souma gave her a weird look and asked with a raised eyebrow:" Lady bits? Seriously?", Lyca grinned and shrugged.

She helped Ryou sit down next to Souma, the injured male gave her a grateful glance and she nodded. Shoji, Daigo, Marui and Shun watched the two with intense eyes. Lyca stiffened and turned around, shouting comically:" OI! CAN'T YOU GUYS GIVE US SOME PRIVACY! YOU'RE DISTURBING!", a bead of sweat appeared on Isami's forehead as he pointed out:" Um… Lyca actually…you could give us some privacy because you're in the male changing room…", he scratched the back of his neck.

A bright red blush appeared on Lyca's face, she wasn't really shy but when it came to the opposite sex…eh… she stuttered:" O-oh, r-right! I..uh…umm…I-I guess I'll l-leave then! R-recover soon guys!", she practically sprinted outside, almost bumping her nose against the closed door as she exited. They could hear her curse as outside of the door.

Isami smiled after her tenderly, such a fiery and ferocious spirit while cooking but still quite shy when it came to guys, even if they were her friends. He shook his head in amusement as his brother chuckled.

Souma grinned and said:" Ahh, we are lucky to have the girls with us right? Otherwise we would have been beaten to pulps.", the boys all agreed, Ryou silently agreed, his eyes softening. Souma blinked and looked at his injuries, he commented:" Oh hell Kurokiba, if he beat you up like this then you must have broken his bones.", Ryou snorted, his uninjured fist clenching in rage at the mention of Rentaro Kusunoki, that bastard.

Shun suddenly said:" Souma, what did they say in the beginning? I only heard that big guy say something crude about the girls before everyone started fighting.", Shoji and Daigo crossed their arms in anger.

Souma sighed heavily and composed his temper before he said:" You see Shun, Eizan and Kusunoki said they would destroy our dorm and take everything away from us. But the Eizan said something about taking away and harming the girls, I got angry and told him to back off. In response, that Kusunoki guy said he would take Lyca and Erina with pleasure once they beaten us, as payment for if they win in a Shokugeki. Kurokiba and I got angry and we threw the first punches.", he looked at Ryou, who nodded in agreement.

Shun nodded, his maroon bangs still covering his eyes but his bloodied fist clenching in anger at the words. The boys all sighed before slowly and carefully changing, mindful of their wounds.

* * *

The girls were all finished changing by the time Lyca entered, Erina stood up and asked her:" Where were you so long? We got worried.", the girl blushed before she answered:" Oh, I'm sorry. I ,uh, I was with Ryou and we walked a little slower because of his injuries.", the God's Tongue nodded thoughtfully.

Ryoko asked with crossed arms:" What do you think the boys were fighting over? It couldn't have been just because those guys said something about their cooking skills.", she knew well that they did react passionately when someone insulted their culinary skills, but they would never raise their fists. Rather they would challenge them to a Shokugeki.

Erina raised a finger to her chin thoughtfully, Yuki said with a frown:" Maybe they said something about us? About Tootsuki?", Erina shook her head and asked:" No, why would they say something against the same academy they attend? It doesn't make any sense.",

Megumi sighed heavily and suggested:" Let's not think about this any longer, alright? I suggest we cook something for the guys since they are injured and tired.", the blue haired girl smiled as her friends agreed eagerly. She frowned when she noticed Lyca was deep in thought, clutching her bruised forearm.

"Lyca, are you alright?", Megumi asked her friend concerned, her arm lightly on her shoulder. Lyca snapped out of her thoughts and sent her a smile, though Megumi saw it was forced. She said:" Yes, yes, I'm alright Megumi don't worry.",

Ryoko, Yuki and Erina frowned deeply. Erina said:" I'll call the doctor to treat your wound Lyca.", but the brunette raised her hand as she said:" Don't be silly Erina, it's alright really. This is nothing.", she gave her friends a smile before she asked:" You can go on without me, I'll come soon.", Megumi frowned, not willing to leave her friend alone but Ryoko and Erina nodded and said:" Alright, please come to the dorm as soon as you can.", Lyca turned her back to them as she nodded.

The girls sighed and left their friend alone, closing the door for her to change. Erina blinked as she saw her cousin's aide, Ryou Kurokiba, standing before her. He asked:" Where is Lyca?", Erina frowned and replied:" She's changing…",

"Kurokiba, I know we don't exactly know each-other well, but you're her closest friend. Please keep an eye on her, I'll send you a doctor to treat you and please try to drag her with you so her injury gets treated as well alright?",

The tall male nodded and said:" If you see milady Alice, tell her I'll see her tomorrow morning. It could get late.", Erina nodded without questioning him, she trusted him.

After the girls left to the dorm, Ryou knocked softly on the door and called:" Lyca, may I come in?", there was a long pause before he heard her soft voice call:" Come in.", he slowly opened the door and saw her, fully dressed, leaning against the wall while sitting on the bench. His frown deepened as he looked at her darkening bruise on her forearm. She noticed his gaze and covered it with her hand.

He sat beside her on the bench and said:" The others are worried.", she turned her head away and said quietly:" Go to the doctor, I'll come soon.", he looked at her for a long moment. He said as he slowly stood up:" Don't be late." And left her alone again. Lyca nodded even when he was already gone. She covered her face with one hand, wiping away the tears.

She stood up and left the changing room, ignoring the throbbing pain of her arm as she made her way outside, it was already evening but she wanted to be alone and sort out her thoughts. Lyca exited the academy and walked along the stone path, trying to find a quiet, secluded spot where she couldn't be found so easily.

She spotted a large oak tree, its branches hanging low enough to provide deep shadows. She ducked under the branches, slowly sat down on the grass and leaned against the rough bark, looking up at the visible moon in the dark sky. Images flashed before her mind's eye, flashbacks about her past…

* * *

 _"_ _Doctor, what is wrong with her? Can't you treat her?", the woman with long dark brown hair pleaded desperately with the tall man clad in white._

 _"_ _I'm sorry but the medication will needed to be imported from Denmark and we simply don't have the financial support to issue a delivery. The medication would save her life.", Mr. and Mrs. Ishikawa listened intently as the doctor said that. Mrs. Ishikawa looked at her daughter, so small, frail, young…young and ill… She had contracted a terrible disease while playing with one of the local children from a village nearby and that was months ago…_

 _"_ _We have the money to pay for the delivery.", Mr. Ishikawa shocked his wife as he said this to the doctor, who seemed mildly surprised himself. His wife exclaimed in shock:" W-what are you saying?! We don't have that kind of money!", but her husband just sent her a relaxed, calm smile as he said:" We will if I sell my restaurant.",_

 _Silence._

 _"_ _Are you insane!? You're out of your mind! You can't sell your restaurant! You've always dreamed of running your own restaurant and being a famous chef! We will find another way-", the dark haired man stopped his wife mid-sentence as he said:" No, we won't. She needs the medication as soon as possible and we won't get our hands on so much money in such a short time. Selling my restaurant is the best option we have now and besides…if I don't have a family to share my fortune and joy with then it's better if I am poor but have my family with me.", he gave his wife a gentle smile as he caressed her cheek reassuringly._

 _"_ _A-alright, if you insist….", she smiled, hugging her husband close to her as they both looked at their pale daughter, Lyca…_

 _"_ _Mama! Papa!", a little girl, no older than six, ran straight to her parents hugging them tightly. She was healthy again, thanks to the medication they received from Denmark. Their little girl was healthy and happy and that was all they needed. Mr. Ishikawa sold his restaurant but unfortunately none of the restaurants nearby wanted to employ him, since most of them were ruled by his rivals._

 _The family decided to try their luck in Denmark, after all, if the medicine their daughter got was from Denmark, then maybe they could start anew there. But they didn't know what had awaited them there…they had no idea it would end like that…_

 _A shot. A gunshot. Three tall men, all clad in black stood before the two fallen bodies of her parents. The little Lyca watched with widened, horror-filled eyes as the men lowered their guns and snickered evilly._

 _"_ _That taught them a lesson of borrowing money and not paying their debts to us.", one of them said, they must have been criminals, maybe even Yakuza. Lyca knew nothing about them, but the only thing she did know was to run._

 _Run somewhere far away where nobody would hurt her, where the images of her dead parents wouldn't haunt her, where the realization that_ ** _she_** _killed her parents didn't root itself deep into her traumatized mind. No…she didn't want to believe any of this!_

 _"_ _Mama! Papa! Where are you?!", she cried heavily into the streets of Denmark, "Mama! Papa!", but there was no answer. Not this time._

 _End of Flashback_

* * *

Lyca cried into her arms as she drew her knees up close to her chest, she ignored the slight chill of the night. She tried to ban the memories deep into the recesses of her mind, but it was no use. She just cried, letting the tremors overtake her body.

Her eyes widened as she felt a warm weight settle around her cold shoulders, she looked up from her arms and saw Ryou, all bandaged up and holding a small bandage in his hand. He sat down beside her on the grass and said:" You will catch a cold if you're out here like this.",

He didn't comment on her crying as tears ran down her cheeks softly, didn't admonish her for running away, didn't criticize her reasons for crying. None of it. He just carefully bandaged her bruised arm, she felt a cooling effect, the doctor must have placed an ointment on the bandage when he gave it to Ryou.

She blushed at how careful and gentle his calloused, strong fingers were. She knew how swift and accurate he was with a knife, how he prepares salmon and other fish with them, how he punches punching bags with them for training (and occasionally people) and how he crushed sea shells with his bare hands. Those same hands were being so gentle with her, as if she would break if he applied even the smallest amount of pressure.

She said quietly:" Thank you Ryou…", just as he finished, his red eyes locked gazes with her own. He nodded and leaned back against the bark next to her, watching her intently.

It was a long time before he spoke in a low tone:" I went to search the doctor up myself and he insisted he treated me first before I go to you. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, I thought you might need some time alone.", she asked quietly as she looked at the ground:" What makes you think I don't want to be alone now?",

He suddenly wrapped both his arms around her and pulled her to his strong body, she was in between his spread legs, her head resting against his chest. He whispered quietly near her ear:" You would have already pushed me away. And I know what it's like when the flashbacks come.", she rested her hand against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

She snuggled deeper into his embrace, his jacket still around her shoulders. She asked:" Aren't you cold Ryou?", he shook his head, tightening his arms around her. She smiled faintly, burying her face into his chest. She mumbled:" Thank you…thank you so much…", she hugged him tightly.

In her broken world, he was a solid company. Like a rock. When she crumbled to the ground, he would stand tall and support her like he always did. Unlike her, he would stay strong and support her even if his world would crumble.

Ryou whispered into her hair as if he could read her mind:" If my world shatters around me, your smile reminds me that not everything about my past is bad. When I met you in Denmark, when you came into my kitchen…you impressed me, I never saw anyone stand up to me back then, you were fearless. You didn't fear me when I shouted at you, didn't back down from my glare while the grownups hid in a corner…", he chuckled softly and the sound calmed her.

She whispered with a slightly shaky voice:" I'm broken Ryou…I'm not perfect…", her chin was lifted up so she was looking into his red eyes as he said:" You think I care about that? Hell, even if you fall down you stand back up. Like with our countless Shokugeki's, you never gave up and neither did I. Just remember what you told me today.",

He repeated those same words she told him:" Even the toughest fall sometimes. But it's their will that makes them strong.", he looked down at her and smiled, not a grin, a smirk, but a real, soft smile. It softened his features, he didn't look like the feared Ryou Kurokiba aka "Mad Dog" of Tootsuki, he was just Ryou now, Lyca's childhood friend.

She sighed heavily and leaned into him, she smiled and asked:" How is it that you always manage to cheer me up?", he joked with a chuckle:" It's a gift.", she smiled and giggled softly, nuzzling his neck affectionately. He stiffened momentarily at her action but relaxed, wrapping his arms around her.

* * *

In the morning, the Nakiri cousins, Souma and Isshiki were searching for their two friends outside. Until Souma spotted them underneath a large oak tree, sleeping in a close embrace, Ryou's jacket on Lyca as she was snuggled in between his legs. Alice clapped her hands together in joy, Erina blushed softly and smiled. Souma and Isshiki smiled at the sight, Isshiki said:" We should let them sleep a little more. It's been a tough day for them.", they all agreed and silently left them to sleep in each-other's arms.

Ryou opened one red eye and saw as his friends left. He sighed, looking down at the peaceful face of his best and closest friend. He frowned when he saw the tear tracks across her cheeks and he rubbed them away gently with his thumb, silently savoring the soft texture of her skin against his rough fingers. He pulled her closer and affectionately kissed her forehead, he allowed himself at least that. This was enough for him. Those stolen moments of affection he could show her and she would never know. He buried his face softly into her hair before he hugged her closely and fell asleep again, with her in his arms.

Where she belonged.

* * *

 **Done! . hehe Well, I hope the chapter is good so far! PLEASE review people, I'm VERY curious to know your opinions on this! I've worked hard on how to create Lyca's past and show the relationship between her and Ryou. For the Souma & Erina fans: don't worry I'll add more of them in later chapters! ;)**


	6. Dojima's Wrath&Shinomiya's Intervention

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Shokugeki no Souma or any of its characters. I just own my OC Lyca (her parents…etc.) and the plot!**_

 **Chapter 6: Dojima's Wrath & Shinomiya's Intervention**

* * *

Erina and Alice Nakiri sighed heavily as they followed Satoshi Isshiki to Dojima's office. Alice had heard what had happened the other day and she was furious to say the least, her dear friends got hurt and her cousin, she wouldn't let that go unpunished. The God's Tongue had immediately searched out a doctor for her friends and watched as Ryou left their group with a small band aid in his pocket.

She had questioned Souma about it, but he just said he went outside for some fresh air. She was suspicious but when she went searching for him and Lyca in the morning, she understood where he disappeared so suddenly.

"What are you going to do Satoshi?", Erina asked the tall male with sandy brown hair, he answered while looking at his two friends:" I'll report to Dojima what happened with Central then I'll ask him to find a suitable punishment for them, maybe even threatening their positions as Elite Ten.", Alice and Erina briefly froze.

Erina's startled eyes hardened as her determination grew, she said:" Let's teach them what it means messing with my students.", Alice smirked and Satoshi smiled as they entered Dojima's office. (AN: Sorry if it's confusing why I'm writing "Satoshi" and why "Isshiki" in some chapters. I'll be writing "Satoshi" when he's with friends but when his adversaries/colleagues talk to him, I'll use his last name.)

"They _what_?!", Gin Dojima slammed his hands down on his desk, his eyes blazing in fury. The normally calm and composed man was furious, he asked:" What do you mean they _attacked_ the Polar Stars yesterday? In a Shokugeki?",

The God's Tongue shook her head firmly as she said:" No! Central suddenly attacked our boys while they played basketball in the court! We don't know what their argument was about that it escalated to fist fights, but we suspect it has something to do either with the dorm or us.", the large man sat back in his chair, his eyes narrowed in anger.

He said:" Send them in. All the boys from the Polar Star dormitory, including Kurokiba.", Satoshi nodded as he left to retrieve said people. Dojima's stern eyes softened as he looked at the Nakiri cousins and asked:" Have they done you any harm? The girls in general?",

Erina shook her head as she said:" Alice wasn't present when it happened but one of them, Kusunoki, harmed Lyca. She sustained a bruise on her upper arm.", he drew in a sharp breath and said lowly:" Erina, would you be so kind as to send her to me as well? I need everyone who got injured in that fight.", the God's Tongue nodded as she left the room with Alice.

* * *

 _Polar Star dormitory:_

Souma growled as he tenderly touched the dark blue, red bruise on his jaw. Damn that hurt! Takumi sighed and admonished softly:" Stop touching it, it will only hurt worse.", the redhead sighed.

Isami looked at his bandaged hand and frowned, he suddenly heard a knock on the door and went to open it. He blinked as he saw Satoshi standing there, he asked:" Oh? Satoshi? What are you doing here? Don't you have a meeting?", the brown haired young man shook his head as he asked:" Are all of you here?", Isami nodded and said:" Come in.",

Souma looked up and saw Satoshi, he greeted cheerfully:" Ah, Satoshi! What's up?", Satoshi sighed as he looked at his beat up friends. He said:" Dojima wants to see you in his office now. It's about the fight with Central yesterday.",

Souma's yellow eyes hardened at the mention of those bastards, he stood up slowly and said:" Tch, we are fine. We don't need Dojima fighting our battles.",

Satoshi said:" You can't expect him to just sit and sip tea quietly while they beat up his students, Souma. Let's go.", Souma scoffed but followed his friend out as did the rest.

The sandy brown haired male turned to Souma as he asked:" Do you know where Kurokiba is?", Souma answered with a finger on his chin:" Uh…I think he's in his room.", Satoshi nodded as they all headed to retrieve Ryou.

As they were walking towards Ryou's room, Souma greeted:" Oi! Nakiri!", both girls turned around at the sound of their last names, thought they knew who was meant. Erina frowned at the sight of Souma, all bandaged up with a bruised jaw but the his cheerful demeanor comforted her slightly.

Satoshi asked confused:" You're here for Kurokiba too?", Alice answered:" Oh no, no. We are looking for Lyca but since she isn't at the dorm we thought Ryou maybe knows where she is.",

"Interesting…", Takumi commented, a secretive smile playing on his lips, Souma rose an eyebrow at his expression. Before Alice developed the same one.

Suddenly the whole group found themselves running straight for Ryou's room, not bothering to knock and instead slamming the door wide open and shouting:" AHA!",

The two occupants in the room blinked several times as they remained frozen at the sight of their friends barging in like this.

Souma and Erina said at the same time:" Ehh?", in confusion. Satoshi crossed his arms and smiled.

Lyca was wrapping a fresh bandage around Ryou's exposed, muscular chest. And then all hell broke loose.

Souma:" Ohooo, Kurokiba! Whatcha doing there with Lyca hmm?",

Alice:" Ryou, Lyca! I told you guys to get a room in a hotel for such things! So shameless!",

Satoshi:" Ah, Kurokiba, Ishikawa…you seem to be pretty comfortable from your position.",

Erina:" Uhm…uh…I-I see. I-If you have that kind of r-relationship t-then y-y-you should have been open a-about it!",

Takumi:" For god's sake! Can't you people at least have the decency to lock the door while you're playing doctor?! Megumi could have walked in and suffered a heart attack!",

Isami:" Brother please…you're embarrassing the couple further…",

Marui:" Uh….umm…aha…", his nose was suddenly running, the tissue stained in red.

Ryou & Lyca:" WOULD YOU CUT IT OUT?! WE AREN'T DOING ANYTHING!", both shouted, Lyca was as red as a tomato while Ryou turned his head away in embarrassment.

Ryou slowly stood up and growled angrily:" **Get the hell out!** ", wait…when did he suddenly have his bandanna on?! Souma shouted as he slammed the door shut:" Uh right! We are waiting outside lovebirds!", before he dragged the whole group out.

Lyca touched her neck in embarrassment, trying to rub the discomfort out of her skin. She yelped in surprise when her nose almost bumped against Ryou's still exposed, partly bandaged chest. Her face heated up in embarrassment as he said with his bandanna still on:" **Aren't you gonna finish the job?** ",

She shook her head before she crossed her arms defiantly and challenged with a smirk:" Make me.", Ryou's eyes widened a fraction, he growled lowly at the challenge.

Before he could do whatever he wanted to do, Alice's voice suddenly rang out from right outside the door:" Hey! Don't go getting too comfortable there! We have to be at Dojima's office at once! Ryou, keep it together!", they could hear the sound of her whistle.

Lyca's face turned a bright red, Ryou grunted and removed his bandanna, watching intently how Lyca finished wrapping his chest and arms. He said softly:" Thanks.", she sent him a warm smile and said shyly:" I have to repay you somehow after last night…",

"Ooooh that sounded dirtyyy!", Souma shouted. Ryou's face darkened in comical rage as he pried the door open and shouted in Souma's smug face:" You want a fight Yukihira!?",

The smug redhead skipped ahead happily as he said:" Catch me first and then we will fight in a Shokugeki, Kurokiba!", Ryou comically chased after the smug male, unconsciously they went in the direction of Dojima's office. Perfect.

Alice nudged Lyca with her shoulder and asked:" Nee, tell us Lyca, was Ryou too rough with you? I could tell he was in berserk mode.", she winked playfully. Lyca crossed her arms and pretended to look around as she shouted:" Stop making it seem dirty!", her face was pink.

Satoshi only smiled but frowned when he saw the bandage around Lyca's forearm, he asked her:" Lyca, how is the bruise?", the young woman blinked as she said:" It's alright Satoshi, thanks.", he knew she was lying but he nodded nonetheless.

* * *

 _Dojima's Office_

"What do you have to say for yourselves?", the tall, large man stood with his arms crossed in front of the assembled students. All bandaged up.

Souma said bravely:" Central provoked us that's why we threw the first punch!", he tried to defend his case when the man raised his hand to silence him.

He asked:" You threw the first punch?", Souma sighed and nodded. Dojima frowned and asked:" Why did you fight?",

It was Ryou who spoke up, his temper was slowly rising:" The bastards insulted the girls. They said they would kidnap them and…", he stopped, unable to continue. He briefly locked gazes with Lyca's shocked eyes before he looked at the ground.

Dojima's fist clenched as he said:" I see…this will not be overlooked I can assure you. I'll tell the doctor to give you any medical attention you need for you to fully recover as fast as possible, as for Central…",

His expression darkened as he said lowly:" I will need to have a talk with Azami himself.", Erina instinctively stiffened at the name of her abusive father. Her frightened fuchsia orbs shot down to her hand, which Souma had grabbed and squeezed to reassure her. He smiled at her, his reassuring smile made Erina blush and turn away in embarrassment.

Dojima looked at Satoshi and said:" Isshiki, I want you to keep a close eye on Central and the Elite Ten members who are a part of it. If you notice anything suspicious, report to me immediately.", Satoshi stood straight and nodded seriously.

The former 1st seats expression softened as he looked at the students, he said in a softer, calmer tone:" Continue on your day. And be careful.", the group nodded as they made their way outside when they saw Dojima made a call.

Ryou's hands were stuffed in his pockets as Alice and Lyca walked on either side of him, the whole group walked towards the cafeteria to eat something and start training again. Until their path was blocked…

By none other than Central…

Souma and Ryou shared a side long glance, Erina's face turned furious as did Alice's. Kusunoki immediately fixed his gaze on the bandage tied around Lyca's forearm, she hid it with her hand in response to his stare. Eizan only glare icily at the whole group.

This time Rindo and the other girls weren't with them. Eizan said haughtily:" Aw, I see the poor little students got all beat up didn't they?", Souma countered with a hand on his hip:" You don't look all that good yourself today, Eizan.", it was true.

All the Central boys had bandages, Eizan and Kusunoki sporting the most on their arms, jaws and some possibly hidden as well. Kusunoki eyed Lyca and said with a sneer:" Hey, Lyca was it? I'm sorry about yesterday, guess I grabbed you too hard huh?", his apology was nothing if not sarcastic. Alice glared at the cocky male but her glare dissipated to surprise as she saw Ryou stepped forward and said with a dark look in his red eyes and his bandanna on tight:" **Don't you fuck with us you bastard. You did that on purpose!"** , oh, oh. Berserk mode on.

Souma crossed his arms as Erina stepped forth and said firmly:" Listen, we won't cause any trouble if you do the same. I suggest you leave us alone and continue on your way.", her words were as cold as ice and as sharp as blades but it seemed to have little effect on them.

Eizan bowed mockingly as he said:" Ah, the famous God's Tongue. What are you doing with _them_? They are far beneath your status.", Erina countered just as sharply:" They are far above _your_ level of skill, Etsuya Eizan.", the male's eyes widened in fury.

"What did you say?", he was about to walk toward her when Souma and Takumi blocked his path, Souma said lowly:" Another step and you will have a new bandage.", Eizan growled, motioning for Kusunoki to come forth as well. Though, instead of targeting the Nakiri's, he went for Lyca.

Ryou stood before her, she whispered to his back:" Ryou, it's alright I can defend myself.", he looked at her from the corner of his eyes as he said quietly despite his bandanna on:" Allow me, milady.", her eyes widened when she heard him call her "milady".

Kusunoki cackled as he asked mockingly:" Oho, "milady" huh? Well, sorry pal I had no idea she was your woman. Though I must tell you, she won't remain yours for long.", instead of denying the claim, Ryou widened his stance as he said with a predatory smile:" **Is that all ya got scumbag? How about showing me what ya got in a Shokugeki, but leave her out of this.** ",

Kusunoki however didn't seem like talking anymore, before either of the Central members could take an offensive action, a deep, stern voice sounded from behind them:" What is going on here?",

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise and shock. What the-! No…it couldn't be! They _knew_ that voice! Souma turned around just as he said:" S-Shinomiya?!", the tall, pink haired chef frowned darkly, his face an intimidating sight as he stepped between the two groups.

Kojirou Shinomiya crossed his arms as he asked while staring down on the Central students:" What business do you have here? Shouldn't you be in a meeting for the Elite Ten Council?", he eyed the bandages on either groups with a frown. Just what happened here?

Eizan was furious but he stepped back as he said forcefully polite:" My apologies Mr. Shinomiya…w-we will depart now.", he bowed curtly before his gang followed behind him, fleeing the scene as fast as they could.

Souma and the others breathed a sigh of relief, Lyca placed a hand on Ryou's shoulder and sighed contently. Thank god Shinomiya came.

Souma asked cheerfully:" Ah! Shinomiya! Where have you been all this-", however the older chef turned around to glare at them with murderous intent as he asked sharply:" Dojima gave me a call and told me to keep an eye one you, he said it was an emergency so I came as fast as I could. He didn't tell me what though. Just what did you lot get yourselves into this time?! And why do you all look like mummies!?", he shook his head as he led them to the cafeteria in the kitchen.

He ignored the surprised looks from his fellow chefs as he turned toward them again and waited patiently for their explanation.

* * *

 _A few explanations later…_

Shinomiya's eyes were wide as he took everything in what his former students just told him. So Central was aiming to quite literally crush them before the Shokugeki's began?

He sighed in exasperation, rubbing his forehead. He scanned the students and stopped on Lyca, he asked softly:" Lyca, you too?", she hung her head, rubbing the bandage on her bruised arm. Shinomiya shook his head and said:" Just what do they hope to achieve with this? They could get exiled from the Elite Ten and Tootsuki with their actions!",

Souma said:" I think they mean to dismantle _us_ before that happens.", Shinomiya asked:" Anyway, you still didn't tell me why you were fighting them.", Souma explained everything, brief and quick.

" _Kidnap the girls and hurt them_?!", he couldn't believe his ears, he knew some of Central's members weren't the most…friendly kids but that they would go _this_ far…

He said seriously as he stood up from his stool:" Listen up, I'll tell the staff to keep an eye on them as well as have a talk with Dojima and possibly Azami. This matter can't go ignored.",

Takumi replied:" Dojima already said he would talk with Azami about this.", Shinomiya nodded and sighed heavily, rolling his shoulders. He shouted at Souma comically:" YOU INSOLENT BRAT! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO GO AND PICK FIGHTS?!", he rubbed his fist against the boy's flaming red hair as Souma yelped and tried to pry his former teacher off.

Ryou shook his head at the childish duo and turned around when he felt someone tap his shoulder, it was Lyca. She gave him a soft smile and suddenly hugged him, openly. He relaxed after a brief minute against her. He wrapped one arm around her back, holding her close.

She whispered:" Ryou…why did you call me "milady" back then…?", he didn't answer for a long time as he leaned down and whispered:" You're a lady.", it was short and simple.

His childhood friend snorted indignantly and muttered:" I'm anything _but_ a lady Ryou and you know it!", she jabbed a finger against his chest. He frowned and said:" I treat ladies with respect.",

She countered with a hand on her hip:" Yeah but you never called me milady before.", he shrugged his shoulders and turned away from her abruptly. She pouted and started lightly beating his back in frustration as she shouted comically:" Ryou! Don't just ignore me you lug! Woah!", her wrists were suddenly grabbed firmly, but not enough to hurt, and she was pulled against a hard, solid body.

The mad dog's face was close to hers as he said:" Let's fight in a Shokugeki. If you win, I'll give you the answer but if _I_ win…", he paused to add some dramatic effect:" I'll get what _I_ want.",

Her response was a bright red blush down to her neck and a surprised squeak, Alice's whistle sounded as she said in her "trainer" mode:" Ryou! Save those fantasies for the bedroom!", Lyca sent her a glare as the white haired Nakiri smirked at her with a wink. Ryou however, actually _reacted_.

He steadied Lyca as he let go of her hands and backed away, but Lyca saw the light blush on his cheeks before it was obscured by his hair. Aww! The famous Mad Dog was blushing!

Lyca witnessed Ryou blushing several times throughout their long friendship but back then they were children…and now… she turned away, her own blush threatening to consume her entire face. Well damn…she would show him! In a Shokugeki! And she will definitely win!

* * *

 **Done for now! Please review dear readers and tell me what you think of it thus far! I bet you're wondering what his answer would be and how their Shokugeki will go! Feel free to suggest answers Ryou could give to Lyca!**


	7. Filler: The Mad Dog's Warmth

**Hey guys, back again! I'll do something which usually annoys anime fans (sometimes), I'll write a filler chapter! :D That's right, I know fillers are usually there to buy the production team some time so the anime doesn't catch up with the manga but this filler serves to…well…to buy the author (me) some time to get creative ideas again (and think of a good answer to Lyca's question if Ryou loses) ^_^ I hope you will enjoy it!**

 **P.S. Suggestions are very welcome!**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Shokugeki no Souma, I just own the plot and my OC Lyca!**_

 **Filler: The Mad Dog's Warmth**

* * *

Was Alice kidding them? She had to be…there was _no freaking way this wasn't a twisted joke!_

Ryou narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Lyca lose her cool, cursing at the sky, trying to be louder than the blaring noise of the snowstorm they were currently trapped in. That's right, they were _trapped in a freaking snowstorm._

 _Because of Alice._

Ryou shouted over the snowstorm:" Let's find shelter somewhere!" but the girl was too preoccupied with shouting at the sky where she _knew_ Alice's helicopter picked her up _before_ the snowstorm set in and left them there. She was going to _kill_ her.

Ryou sighed and walked towards his best friend, grabbed her by the fur of her thick winter jacket and dragged the still cursing girl forward. She usually wasn't prone to use profanities or curse at all but when her anger meter reached its high, her patience and finesse boiled over as well.

After a few seconds passed Lyca finally calmed down and practically barked at her friend:" Why the hell are you dragging me?! I'm not some doll for hell's sake!" oh she was _angry_.

Ryou held his hands up in surrender, his expression for once alerted and wide awake instead of the usual laziness he was known for. He repeated the same words he said earlier:" We have to find shelter somewhere. This snowstorm won't subside so soon." she sighed heavily and nodded, drawing her scarf closer to her neck. This couldn't get any worse.

A strong gust of wind and snow almost caused them to stumble from its brutal force, Ryou steadied her by the arm as they both made their way forwards.

After minutes or maybe even hours of walking, Ryou shouted:" Lyca! There!" he pointed in the direction of something brown and square-like….a hut! A hut!

Ryou blinked rapidly when he saw Lyca dashing towards the hut, without a care in the world, jumping and skipping crazily. He shook his head, following her.

By closer proximity they saw it was a typically old but sturdy wooden hut, the lights were out but the chimney was spewing smoke…odd.

Ryou and Lyca knocked on the door but no one answered, they shared a look before slowly opening the door, which creaked slightly.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Lyca called but received no answer. Her voice echoed in the small hut, obviously it seemed abandoned. But when they switched on the lights it was an entirely different story…

The hut was well furnished, it almost looked… _new._ Or at least not twenty years old. There was a small kitchen seemingly well stocked, the living room was big for such a small hut, a large, comfortable-looking futon was there. Pillows were positioned on the ground, a small TV was there too standing on a small mahogany desk. Wait…

 _Well furnished? Mahogany? A TV?_

Ryou and Lyca said at the same time:" Alice!" Ryou sighed heavily and shook his head. While his partner fumed again.

"I can't believe she set this up! We are trapped in a damn snowstorm while the princess vanished into thin air and is probably laughing her ass off somewhere!" Lyca rubbed her arms, it was slightly chilly here.

Ryou shook his head and removed his jacket, he spotted a pile of wood near the entrance. He said:" Lyca, take off your jacket. I'll start a fire and it will be warm in no time. Look if we have something to eat here." the young woman reluctantly took off her jacket and started raiding the kitchen.

She found all sorts of cans from beans to fruits. There was also _fresh_ food in the fridge, jackpot. Lyca, with all sorts of delicious products in her arms (including candy of course), found her eyes intently watching Ryou as he lifted the heavy chopped wood into his trained arms, the muscles bulging beneath his long sleeved black sweater. She shook her head wildly and continued to do her work, finding some bowls and plates to put the snacks in them. Her stomach growled in protest at being denied food for so long, Alice had eaten all of their food.

" _Just where does she put all that?"_ Lyca sighed heavily and thought with a light giggle: _" I can think of some places where she puts it all…"_ Lyca shook her head and looked down at her own relatively modest chest. She wasn't flat chested but also not "super curvy" like Erina, Alice, Ryoko, Mito…damn there were a lot…

She sighed and almost tripped over a fallen log on the floor when she wasn't paying attention, in the short time when Ryou noticed her falling, he held her upright with his own body while steadying the bowls with his hands.

Lyca yelped in pain, falling painfully against his hard body. Damn it! She let Ryou hold one bowl while she rubbed her nose as she pouted heavily.

Ryou said:" Sorry about that, guess I missed that one." when Lyca looked up at Ryou, she saw him _smirking_.

She exploded comically:" Hey! Stop being so smug you, you idiot! God damn it…why do you have to be so hard!?" he rose an eyebrow, his smug smirk not leaving his face. Her own face took on a light pink as she quickly explained:" You know what I mean!".

She huffed in annoyance as she attempted to take the bowl from him but he only held it higher, out of her reach. She warned softly:" Ryou…" he suddenly stuck his tongue out at her and abruptly turned around, practically jumping on the pillows on the floor and munching on the chips.

She shook her head in mild amusement but she tried to hide it, really she did. But every time she saw Ryou so carefree and being _himself_ she just had to give in. She smiled and sat down next to him, taking a few chips from his bowl.

"What do you think about Hayama?" Ryou suddenly asked, catching Lyca off guard. How did he come on Akira Hayama now?

"Uh…well, he's alright I guess. A bit too cocky but he's really not a bad guy. I talked to him a couple of times, he's pretty nice when you get to know him a little more. Oh and I find his crush on Shiomi so sweet!" she giggled before she pouted and said:" I hope the age difference doesn't bother him, I mean Shiomi really looks like she's our age!".

Ryou shrugged and said:" I suppose…" he rose an eyebrow and asked:" Why do you like him anyway? He's our rival." she shrugged and said:" I wouldn't exactly call it "like" but more…like camaraderie. If he needed assistance in anything I'd help him out but otherwise we don't hang out together or anything." Ryou nodded.

"Why the sudden inquiry?" she asked the fish master, giving him a suspicious look. He said:" Curious."

He suddenly noticed her shivering from time to time, he asked:" Cold?" she stubbornly shook her head and Ryou sighed in slight annoyance. He grabbed a blanket, wrapped it around himself, grabbed her and placed her in-between his spread legs covering them both tightly with the warm blanket.

She blushed lightly and said:" T-thank you, you're really warm…" Ryou hummed in acknowledgement, she leaned against him and yawned loudly.

He was surprised when she turned to her side and snuggled into his chest, murmuring half asleep:" I don't want to kill Alice anymore…", Ryou chuckled softly and held her tighter. He whispered:" Good night milady…",

„Night Ryou…" she gripped his middle tightly, cuddling him like a big teddy bear. His phone suddenly vibrated, as he picked it up to check his messages, his eyes widened in surprise.

„ _I'm sorry for leaving you in a snowstorm but it worked didn't it Ryou? You said you didn't know how to approach her, I hope it helped! P.S. Thank me later! ^_^"_

The Mad Dog shook his head lightly before he placed his phone on the floor, Lyca suddenly asked sleepily:" Was that Alice?"

„Mhm…" Ryou hummed, his strong arms tightening around her. She only snuggled deeper into his embrace and both of them said at the same time:"

We will kill her." With a smile and a chuckle.

* * *

 **Bonus scene:**

Shinomiya tied Inui up again after she kept telling him how mean he was. Damn that dunce! He taped her mouth shut too. That will keep her quiet.

He sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead as he spotted Ryou and Lyca walking together down the hall, but _something_ was different…

"Ohhh! Look at that Shinomiya! What a cute-" he bellowed at her:" How the hell did you free yourself Inui?!" he chased after her again, right past Ryou and Lyca, who froze and looked at the alumni in surprise.

Aha…very interesting…Ryou said:" Milady Alice…" the white haired Nakiri turned around, a bright smile on her face when she saw her two close friends.

"Ah! Ryou, Lyca! How was your little honeymoon in the hut-" her eyes widened when she saw Ryou holding duct tape and Lyca holding a thick rope, both their headgear on, fire surrounding them.

" Y-you monsters! Nooo!" she tried to run away but they were faster. Damn it all! She was just too good of a matchmaker!

* * *

"Um…hey Nakiri….when do you think Alice will let us out?" Souma inquired as he was still sitting on the little chair, all cramped up.

"Shut up Yukihira! My cousin is unpredictable! This is utterly unacceptable! How dare she lock us in this filthy closet?!" she kept slamming her fists against the door while Souma just sighed heavily and rested his chin on his hand. This will be a long day…

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed it! Please read and review! Special thanks to faunalind for being a beta and correcting my mistakes! (salute) ^_^**


	8. April Fools!

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Shokugeki no Souma or any of its characters! I own my OC!_**

 **April Fools!**

* * *

Lyca sighed heavily as she carried a basket full of vegetables along the dirt path, near the Polar Star dorm. She held the basket steady with one hand while she wiped her forehead with the other.

It was such a warm day, no scratch that it was _hot_. Well, it _was_ summer, which meant _no_ school and _more_ free time! Today the group had wanted to make a big feast for themselves and invite their friends who weren't from Polar Star.

Lyca's job was to gather vegetables and herbs, now she was searching for a few more herbs before she had to head back and help cook everything. She looked up at the cloudless sky, the sun shining brightly and warming her already burning skin.

"Man…I could really use some water about now…" she yawned and shrugged, she would drink water once she returned. As she continued walking she heard some rustling nearby, in the bushes.

She turned around and watched the bush for a few seconds before concluding it was an animal living in the forest. But the rustling came again, after she ignored it for the third time she turned around fully and stared at it intensely.

" _Of course, I have to be the only weird girl out there who just randomly stops and stares at some bush…sometimes I worry for my sanity…"_ she thought while grimacing slightly and shaking her head. She was losing it soon enough. But the bustling came _again_.

She set down the basket and slowly approached the bush, which was still rustling about. Once she was only a few steps away from it, she was suddenly splashed back with a powerful stream of _ice cold water!_ She screamed in a high pitch, she wouldn't be caught _dead_ screaming like that.

She shivered like a leaf on the floor before she wiped the water out of her eyes and looked at _what the hell_ just splashed/attacked her.

A tall young man with dark wild hair, a large grin and amusing red eyes greeted her. Oh and did she mention that he was shirtless too? In…swimming trunks? Eh? She blinked slowly, then noticed something odd…

He was wearing his bandanna.

Her eyes opened fully, as wide as dinner plates. HE WAS WEARING HIS BANDANNA DAMN IT! She scrambled to get up and run away as fast as she could, but two strong arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her up suddenly, throwing her over his shoulder like she weighted nothing.

She punched his back and shouted:" Ryou for god's sake! Let me go! Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Why in the world did you just splash me with water anyway?! What are-woah!" but he ignored her, instead she was thrown off his shoulder straight into the surprisingly cold lake.

She splashed about for a while, trying to recover from the ice cold shock, before she resurfaced and glared menacingly at an amused Ryou, he was grinning like the devil he was. Oh how he would _pay_.

She smirked evilly and asked sweetly:" Oh, Ryou! Why don't you give me the towel in the basket? It's right under the ingredients!" she smiled sweetly at him, using all her acting skills to make herself believably innocent.

He seemed to buy it, still with that _damn_ smirk, he headed over to the basket she had placed on the ground before she was so viciously attacked…

When he pushed the ingredients aside, a blur of brown and red suddenly jumped on his face, scratching and tangling in his hair. He shouted and tried to pry the thing off of him.

"What the hell?! What is this-argh! Stop that! T-that hurts damn it!" he finally grabbed the small thing that just jumped on his head and pried it off, holding it a safe distance away from his face.

A squirrel… a bloody squirrel…

" You just hired a fucking _squirrel_ to murder me?! Are you serious?!" the small thing looked at him as if Ryou would burst into flames any minute from its glare alone. Ryou glared right back and it covered beneath his feral appearance, the bandanna only adding to the effect. He set it down and it ran straight for a tree, still glaring at him from a safe distance…

He held a small staring/glaring contest with the squirrel until Lyca suddenly pulled on his arm and threw _him_ in the lake.

Lyca giggled as Ryou resurfaced, his body shivering from coming into contact with the cold water again after he got used to the warm temperature. He glared daggers at her, if looks could kill….that squirrel would have rolled on its back a long, long time ago…

"I didn't exactly _hire_ it…let's just say Alice had her hands in all this…" the young woman giggled again, a secretive look in her eyes as Ryou slowly got out of the water, shaking his head like a dog, which prompted another giggle from her.

Ryou blinked and frowned, he had always wondered just how far his milady's connections could go…but he would have never thought there were yakuza and all sorts of other groups in the animal world too…

He shivered at the terrifying thought…

He saw Lyca's soaked, shaking state and slowly grinned approaching her. Her eyes widened, she quickly grabbed her basket and fled, Ryou following hot on her trails.

* * *

All the while the duo, trio if the still glaring-at-Ryou's-back squirrel was counted, didn't notice they were being watched by two figures hiding behind the trees a few feet away.

"Well…this was quite interesting to watch…" the man with sandy brown hair chuckled, a twinkle in his eye.

"Does this often happen at your dorm? Such carefree spirits…" another male voice replied, the whitish unruly hair of the second male nearly obscuring his pale eyes.

"Ah, well, you see First-,"

"SATOSHI! Where are my squirrels and rabbits?!,"

Satoshi Isshiki's eyes widened in comical fear, that was Ryoko and Yuki…oh oh.

Eishi Tsukasa, First Seat of the Elite Ten Council, glanced behind the tree only for his eyes to widen upon seeing what looked like an entire army marching towards them.

In reality, there were only two girls, presumably from his friend's dorm, which looked like they were on a bloody killing spree. "Um…are they a threat?" from the panicked look Satoshi was giving him, he knew the answer.

Both Council members climbed up the tree, holding onto the thick branches for dear life. They thought they were safe…until…

The girls started climbing up the tree wildly, their eyes blazing red, their mouths foaming at the sides in wild fury…by the gods…they were _dead_.

Satoshi looked at Eishi and said with a solemn, tearful nod:" Eishi…it was an honor knowing you my friend…" tears were streaming down his face as the two monsters were getting closer.

"Satoshi…the honor was all mine…we will meet again in heaven…" both men froze when Ryoko and Yuki both said menacingly:" You mean in _hell_!"

Before they were brutally assaulted by the two rabid women.

Reports throughout the day said that two of the Elite Ten, the First and Seventh Seat, were said to be mauled and brutally tortured by some sort of "monsters". The victims had managed to escape, barely, but they were crawling instead of walking and had decided to huddle together in a corner and whispering the words "monsters", "hell", "oh my god" over and over. They kept quiet about "what" had assaulted them though.

* * *

"You know, Hinako…I…I have always loved you…" Kojirou Shinomiya said as he flashed her a charming smile, his yellow eyes softening in affection for the woman in front of him.

Inui Hinako flushed in embarrassment, a bright redness spreading all over her cheeks as she flailed with her arms all over the place and steam was coming through her ears. Until…

"April fools!" Kojirou said, grinning and crossing his arms in triumph at the flustered woman.

"B-b-b-b-b-but whaaat?! I-I mean, I mean, n-not that I d-don't, I-I mean! K-Kojirou y-you have always been such a big Meanie! You keep scaring away kids and y-you almost expelled Megumi! And, and y-you're so mean to poor Souma! He will be a far better chef than you! You will see, he will surpass your fancy restaurant! And….and his hair is better than yours! Yours is _pink_! You're such a big, big Meanie!" she finished with her uncontrollable stuttering, breathing deeply.

When she saw something flash in Kojirou's eyes and saw the beginning of a thick rope seemingly materialize out of thin air in his hands, she quickly jumped over the counter and fled the kitchen. Oh, but not before her surprise was revealed.

As Kojirou attempted to follow her and tie her up, of course torture her later, he suddenly slipped on something on the floor and gripped the closest thing to him, the refrigerator.

The white door opened…and he was assaulted by frantic chickens and panicked squirrels and _rabbits_ jumping out of the cold refrigerator and landing on Kojirou.

"G-gaaah! What in the world-!?" he pushed away the chicken that kept persistently poking his cheek and slapped the rude squirrel away that kept trying to rip out his hair. He quickly stood up and found himself being chased by animals, chickens and squirrels and rabbits no less, out of his own kitchen.

Then he remembered the rope in his hands and smirked evilly, ohh…Hinako would pay…and how she would pay….but not before he saved his feet from being picked by the annoying chicken that seemed to chase him with a vengeance.

It was April Fool's day, the first of April, but…he knew buried, deep down in his heart he had meant the words he said to Hinako, even though he portrayed it as a joke.

* * *

"Oi! Nakiri, wanna hang out?" Souma asked casually as he flashed the flustered girl a bright smile.

"Oh, my dear Souma! I've been thinking about y-you all day long…" the usually temperamental and dominant Erina suddenly smiled at him sultrily, slowly approaching him with a sway in her step.

 _Eh? What?!_

Souma was used to this sort of behavior from some other girls…but _Nakiri_? Maybe she had a fever? He found himself backing away as he spotted a door, aha! A room! He hoped it was empty..he had to lock himself away from this crazy Erina.

He opened the door quickly and just as he stepped inside, a bucket full of eggs, vinegar, flour and squid fell on him…

"April Fools Yukihira Souma!" Erina laughed, clutching her stomach as tears slowly formed in her eyes from how hard she was laughing. She got him now!

But the redhead turned around slowly, a small smile growing on his handsome face. He suddenly spread his arms wide open and said with a grin:" Nakiri….why don't we share a hug? Come on over here, it's nice to hug your friends!" he approached the frozen girl.

And she ran away, ran as if her life depended on it, Souma ran after her, a small piece of squid in his mouth as he laughed and chased after her, Hisako looking wide eyed at the…. _interesting_ developments. Have everyone gone crazy today?

* * *

In a secret room, Alice Nakiri had several monitors lined up, all of them showing her what all her friends at Tootsuki were currently doing.

She giggled evilly, hmm…she wondered where the Aldini twins were today..and Mito…

She said:" I think the Aldini brothers and Ikumi Mito deserve a small surprise as well…" Gin Dojima smirked behind her and something flashed in his eyes before he said:" Ahh, those are good targets. Are you ready there, stray cat?"

He turned to his longtime friend, the handsome brown-red haired man grinned widely and said:" Do you even have to ask Gin?" Joichiro Yukihira grinned as he nodded and left with Gin the dark room, Alice's room.

The white haired girl smirked and started laughing maniacally, before falling into a violent coughing fit. She quickly grabbed a glass of water and drank it, getting her cough under control. She pouted and continued watching her crazy friends, petting the little toy bear in her lap…like a cat…

Some people…

 **Hehe….yeah I know I'm late…but I wanted to write a little something for April Fools day! I hope everyone enjoyed it! Please read and review! The previous reviews are all very much appreciated, thank you!** **J**


	9. A Invitation and a Surprising Guest

**Alright! The official Chapter 7 of this story, following the storyline! FINALLY! Well then enjoy dear readers and thank you a lot for all the previous reviews!**

* * *

 **INFO: Ah…yeah, I don't know any Danish (I know German but…that's just not the same thing .) so when Ryou will be talking with Leonora, or just simply talking in Danish, I will mark them by using** ** _italics_** **instead of trying to translate it to Danish, since that would have probably been gibberish anyway. I do hope you have mercy! Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter 7: An Invitation and a Surprising Guest**

* * *

All of the Polar Star members slumped heavily against their, actually Marui's, bed. It was another rough day, cooking to no end and the worst/best?

The Autumn Elections were _finally_ over. With surprising and of course disappointing results.

As it turned out, Lyca and Ryou weren't in the same group but Ryou, Soma and Akira were. She had heard from Alice that the three had a three-way-Shokugeki. With Akira Hayama as the winner of the Autumn Elections.

Of course she was worried about Soma and Ryou a lot, they were in such high spirits to win and then Akira took away the title…of course he was a master at spices so she supposed it wasn't all that surprising, but she still held high hopes for them.

When she had found them together, side-by-side, in the kitchen at three in the morning, comparing spice combinations and curry dishes she almost suffered a heart attack. Mainly because when they turned around, sporting eye bags that literally reached the floor, they had immediately attacked her, tied her to a chair and forced her to try each of their dishes…which were over a hundred curry dishes.

The Polar Star members found them looking half dead, all laying on the floor, sleeping like rocks. Satoshi and the others had put them to their beds, Ryou slept next to Soma on his bed, which caused for a very comical reaction once the two rivals/friends woke up.

Lyca herself had earned third place, she was satisfied with the outcome. Though she was trying to cheer up Ryou and Soma, but them being…well them, they didn't show their disappointment but it was clear that they were beat up over it too.

As the weeks followed, they seemed to be recovering steadily, their fighting spirit growing day by day. They even went to annoy Akira about how to improve their dishes and she couldn't help but giggle every time she saw the two eager….or rather frustrated Ryou and Soma and the helpless Akira as they all sat together and tried each-other's cooking.

Either Ryou and Akira were rubbing off on Soma or the boys had made their own "protocol system". They had been documenting every single dish they cooked, what ingredients they used, what their mistakes were and how the dish could be improved, similar to Soma's and his father's win/loss documenting.

She supposed that was a way of healing wounds and further developing their skills so she and the others left them to their work. Though after they had come out of the kitchen one time looking like zombies, they locked them up in their rooms so the trio could get a well deserved rest after all that stress.

Though she hadn't been present at the Shokugeki the three rivals had, she could imagine what it must have looked like when Erina told her what Soma said about Ryou.

 _Kurokiba's eyes…aren't dead yet. The beast still lives._

That definitely sounded like the Ryou she knew and she had confidence in him. Immense confidence. Surely he would make it, at least, to third seat in the Elite Ten when the time came. With Soma on top.

She was walking toward the kitchen when there was suddenly a knock on the door of her dorm. She rose an eyebrow, who could it be at daylight? Especially now when they returned half dead? Nonetheless she answered the door. It was Ryou.

"Ryou?" she blinked in surprise, he was holding a white envelope in his hands with his usual passive expression. He said:" Here, this is for you."

She curiously took the envelope and looked at it, it had neat decorative designs on the side, something you would expect at a wedding.

As she opened it, she immediately recognized Alice's neat but a little girlish handwriting.

 _Dear Lyca! ^_^_

 _As celebration for surviving the terrifying Autumn Elections, I would like to invite the whole Polar Star dorm as our guests to the Nakiri estate. Oh, Ikumi, Hayama and the Aldini brothers will be there too!_

 _Nothing too fancy, though I advise you to dress very nicely! ;) Ryou will be there too and you wouldn't want to disappoint him ne? Anyway, the celebration starts this week on Saturday afternoon. I won't accept "no" as an answer!_

 _Alice_

Yup…that sounded like her alright…she fought down a blush as she quickly put the letter back in the envelope and pressed it closely to her chest so Ryou wouldn't see its contents.

"What did she write?" she realized that Ryou didn't know what it said, thank god. She would die of mortification. Lyca cleared her throat and answered:" Alice invited us to the Nakiri estate for a celebration for surviving the Autumn Elections. She said we'd have to dress nicely and everyone from Polar Star are invited!"

Ryou rose an eyebrow and asked:" From Polar Star? Odd…" Lyca immediately asked:" What? Why? Does she have something planned?!" she shook Ryou slightly, gripping and shaking his broad shoulders.

He shook his head and said:" Not that I'm aware of…yet. Though I assume it's simply to celebrate, unless she and lady Leonora have something planned together…" he visibly shivered, he was often exposed to the mother-daughter-powerhouse duo. Mainly from their match making plots and sometimes even pranks, which were sometimes far too exaggerated for Ryou's tastes.

 _Kusunoki…_

Ryou clenched his fist in his pocket when he thought about that…that _bastard_. He briefly looked at Lyca, his eyes zeroing in on the spot on her upper arm where her bruise used to be. He grit his teeth tightly in anger, he respected women in general, but _no one_ be they Elite Ten or whatever prestigious brat, dare lay a hand on any of his friends.

Ryou snapped out of his darkening thoughts when Lyca asked:" You coming Ryou?"

The young chef nodded, following Lyca into the dorm.

* * *

"Kusunoki…" Rindou Kobayashi called for her fellow Central member as she sat herself beside him with a minx smile on her face. The youth looked over at her, seemingly irritated as he asked gruffly:" What do ya want Rindo?"

She huffed and straightened before her easy smile returned and she said:" You know…I've just received word from Leonora Nakiri personally…"

At this, Rentaro Kusunoki looked up in surprise. Leonora Nakiri? The aunt of Erina Nakiri and Alice's mother? What could she possibly have to announce?

"She invited you to a celebration to the Nakiri Mansion. She invited me and Isshiki as well but we don't have time. You know…paperwork…" somehow that was very hard to believe, considering Rindo just gave all her paperwork to poor Eishi anyway…

"Alright, I'll attend I guess. What's the celebration for anyway?" at that his colleague and occasional "friend" shot him a mischievous smirk as she said:" For surviving the Autumn Elections….and for the sake of even having a celebration? You'll see won't ya?" she winked and left him to stand there with a confused look on his face.

However, she slightly turned her head as she added:" Oh, by the way, did I mention that all the residents of the Polar Star dorm are also invited?" before she continued on to her path.

This made him freeze…all residents of the Polar Star…that meant…

 _Lyca…_

 _What the-! Let me go!_

He closed his eyes briefly, his temper was rising again. Anger…at himself. He looked down at his slightly calloused hands, from years of cooking on the front lines…

Hands from which he made mouthwatering food…had actually harmed a young woman…a young woman he was fond of…as strange as the thought was, he truly didn't bear any ill feelings towards Lyca Ishikawa. She was intriguing to say the least, earning third place in the Autumn elections…having so many friends she could rely on…

And the fact she was spending a lot of time with Kurokiba… Rentaro narrowed his eyes.

The brat had actually challenged him, he was just waiting for a official Shokugeki declaration. He would show the freshman who was the alpha dog in this culinary school. Ever since Azami had usurped the "throne" as King of the Culinary academy, things have been looking up for Central and the Elite Ten in general, except for those who opposed him…

He scoffed and left his kitchen, his thoughts on what he was supposed to wear for such a fancy occasion…at Nakiri's mansion no less.

* * *

"An invitation from Nakiri?" Souma inquired, question marks appearing all around his head. Well…she supposed it _was_ slightly unusual for something like this to occur…then again this was _Alice's_ mother's invitation, not _Erina_ per se. Lyca nodded, showing him the envelope…before she quickly snatched it back when she remembered just what Alice had written in it.

With rosy cheeks, she said:" U-uh, y-yeah. She just said to come and to dress nicely! It's a celebration for surviving the autumn elections!" she giggled nervously, fiddling with the envelope, which caused a confused look from Souma and Megumi, who was just standing behind the boy.

Lyca cleared her throat and wanted to securely tuck the envelope in her pocket, before it was snatched back from a curious Soma. The redhead quickly dodged her grabbing hands as he opened the envelope and read it.

He stopped and rose an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side like a confused dog. _Oh, just great!_ Lyca had a very bad feeling about this…

"Hey, Lyca, why does this say you have to dress nicely for Kurokiba?" silence.

Absolute silence.

The girls; Ryoko, Yuki and Megumi all thought the same:" _Souma…you idiot!"_

Lyca managed to control her blush to only a blazing red, instead of the wild inferno that wanted to burst from her. She was going to _kill_ him. She didn't even dare to look behind her to see Ryou's reaction, oh gods above help her…

"Huh? Dress nicely?" to her growing mortification, Ryou actually took the letter and read it himself, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Souma scratched the back of his neck and said:" Hmm…..weird. Guess all Nakiri's are weird, huh? Anyway, is Kurokiba helping you dress up or what?"

Lyca thought she was going to punch a hole through Souma's thick skull until Ryou shot him a lazy glare and said:" Now why would I do that? She knows how to dress."

Souma adopted a teasing grin as he gently elbowed Ryou and said with a wiggle of his eyebrows:" Oho, Kurokiba… you implying something there huh?" Souma kept wiggling his eyebrows as Ryou took on a annoyed expression and retaliated by saying:" Shut up Yukihira, I wasn't implying anything." Both grind their heads against each-other, electrical discharges almost visible between them.

All the girls face palmed, including Lyca. How was it possible….for someone as dense as Souma to even tease another guy about things such as _romantic_ or _suggestive_ advances when he _himself_ is as oblivious as a rock?! They shook their heads in disappointment, Ryoko sent a sympathetic look at Lyca, who only watched the two males bicker with growing annoyance.

Yuki announced:" Ohhhh! That means we have to go shopping!" without another word, Yuki took Ryoko and Megumi by the arms and raced towards Lyca, grabbing her along the way, racing straight out of the forest and towards the shopping districts.

Ryou noticed Lyca being dragged, seemingly against her will, to shopping. He tuned out Souma's bickering and followed after the dusty trail the eager group of girls left for him to track. Souma shouted after him:" Oi! Kurokiba!"

The mad dog stopped shortly, Souma caught up to him and said with a large grin:" Just be sure to take care of her, alright? She's like a sister to me." At the words Ryou's expression softened slightly but he quickly stood on alert. He said:" Nothing will happen to her." With that he and Souma went to follow the girls and make sure they didn't cause or attract any trouble.

* * *

 _Hours later…_

All the Polar Star residents, including Ryou, were lazily sprawled either on Marui's bed or on the floor. Lyca said as she rubbed her forehead:" Never…again…"

Yuki's tired voice drawled out from somewhere to her left:" It was fun Lyca…don't be like that…" Lyca snorted and said:" I feel like I ran a marathon…" Ryou sat up and picked a tired Lyca up too, carefully carrying her in his arms. He said as she curled herself around him:" I'll bring her to bed." The rest was too tired to tease them as they left Marui's messy room.

While Ryou preferred to carry her bridal-style, since he thought she would be most comfortable like that, she always wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, her face securely tucked into the hollow of his throat.

He sighed, readjusting her in his grip as he opened her door. With one strong arm he was holding her steady, while with the other he pulled the blanket away and gently eased her into bed, tucking her in.

Before he could take his leave, she tugged on his pinky finger, causing him to turn around curiously and kneel at her bed. He asked surprisingly softly:" Lyca?"

"R-Ryou…" she murmured half asleep, he hummed, letting her know he was listening. She cracked one eye open halfway and smiled, she said:" You're a real gentleman…I trust you…"

His eyes widened slightly…if he didn't know any better, he would have thought she was drunk, but since Ryoko hadn't brought out her special "rice juice" she was sober. He didn't know what to make of her statement but nonetheless he said softly:" Sleep milady…" he pulled the blanket closer to her and ever so gently removed stray bangs from her face.

She smiled and snuggled deeper into the covers, her hold on his pinky finger tightening. He sighed and made himself comfortable against the bed on the floor, taking a small pillow and closing his eyes.

Ryoko knocked on the door and asked:" Hey Lyca, breakfast is-" she stopped when she saw them…together.

Ryou was sleeping on the floor, though she could see his and Lyca's hands were intertwined together, her cheek resting against his knuckles. His forehead was close to hers as well, they were so cute. She smiled warmly and quietly retreated. Breakfast could wait.

* * *

The week passed by on a whim and it was already Saturday, time to get ready for a celebration!

The girls were all done up, but not overdoing it. They all wore dresses, though modest ones with discreet colors; Ryoko had a deep purple with thin halter strings, Yuki a very light shade of turquoise, almost baby blue with a small flower clip attached at the shoulder, Megumi wore a deep blue dress that covered her knees with ruffles at the endings and Lyca wore a simple scarlet red dress with her yin-yang necklace.

Only Yuki and Ryoko wore earrings, nothing fancy but it added a little to the appearance overall. Souma, Daigo, Shoji, Shun and Marui all donned elegant black tuxedos…in their own ways…

Souma's white button up shirt had the first button open, his white headband still tied to his wrist. Daigo and Shoji's surprisingly didn't have any of their buttons open, Shun's collar was slightly exposed but it still looked…elegant…in a way, in a messy way. Marui was all buttoned up, ironed dress shirt and everything.

Souma grinned and said:" Well, then let's go guys!" Fumio leaned against the doorway as she saw them off, a warm smile on her wrinkled face as she watched the young 92nd generation walking out of her dorm. It reminded her of the Golden era…with Joichiro and Gin…

She sighed at the memories and shook her head, smiling at the figure that stood leaning against the kitchen counter.

"I thought you had paper work to do?" she asked with a amused tone.

The Seventh seat chuckled and said offhandedly:" Eishi was kind enough to do it for me." Fumio scoffed, knowing exactly that was the exact opposite of the truth. She crossed her arms and asked:"So, how comes you didn't attend the party?"

Satoshi smiled and said:" Let them have their fun. Besides, I couldn't possibly let such a lady as yourself all alone here could I?" the elderly woman ignored him as she smirked and said:" Oh you flatter me Isshiki. What do you say of a Shokugeki?"

"Gladly," pearly white teeth flashed as the young Seventh seat grinned with a challenging twinkle in his eye.

* * *

"Wow! This is so nice!" Yuki exclaimed with stars practically shining in her eyes as she looked all around the beautiful Nakiri mansion. The elderly butler smiled, taking their jackets in one arm as he said:" I wish you a enjoyable night."

Yuki turned around and said:" Thank you mister! You too!" the old man chuckled as the eager bunch of youngsters almost ran down the hall.

"Ah, did they arrive already?" the elderly man looked up only to see Ryou Kurokiba, dressed in a elegant black suit, the first two buttons open but his hair was combed back, thankfully not completely slicked flat, though aside from the front it retained its usual "wild look". The old man smiled kindly and answered:" Yes they have Ryou. You have dressed up quite nicely."

Ryou's hands were in his pockets as he said:" Well, it is a celebration after all. Milady Alice said to dress nicely." The butler chuckled as he winked and said:" Oh are you sure you would have groomed yourself so nicely only because of milady Alice?" Ryou shot the butler a half hearted glare.

The old man teased before he left:" I saw the kind girl with brown hair and the red dress. In case you're already worrying." Ryou scoffed at the old man, he was known to be a bit of a teaser concerning things like that. The young seafood expert waved at him and left the down the large, spacious hall hearing the elderly man's chuckle all the way down.

* * *

Ryou had spotted Lyca almost immediately, especially because of her deep red dress. She and the rest of Polar Star and their other friends turned around to greet him and Alice, who had appeared out of nowhere suddenly, in her white frilly dress.

She smiled and greeted cheerfully:" Hello everyone! I'm so happy you all arrived! Ryou! Quit being so rude! They are thirsty!" cartoonish sweat-drops appeared on everyone's foreheads as they meekly raised their drinks, indicating they already _had_ them. Ryou looked at Alice passively as he said:" Milady, I'm not a butler." Her cheeks puffed out, her eyes turning cartoonish as she started beating Ryou's back and shouting "bad butler!", "bad butler!" over and over again.

" _Alice dear, stop tormenting the poor man_." A velvety voice interrupted her daughter's beating of her closest friend and aid. It was fluent Danish though.

Everyone looked in astonishment at Lady Leonora, Alice's mother and the aunt of the absent Erina Nakiri. Ryou bowed respectfully and said:" Milady Leonora, your speech." He wisely pointed out her change of language.

The beautiful woman which was wearing a long, dark purple dress which exposed some of her cleavage, held a hand over her mouth in surprise and said with a laugh in broken Japanese:" Ah! I am very sorry for language! I welcome you to my party! Please feel nice and enjoy your stay." The beautiful woman, which the group understood from where Alice had her…exotic looks from, waved with a bright and warm smile.

Though Lady Leonora's behavior was nothing but open and friendly, the group could sense a powerful aura from her, indicating her vast experiences and knowledge within the culinary world, most possibly focused on molecular gastronomy.

Alice bragged with a hand to her mouth:" Oh mother! You know how much Ryou likes to be teased!-" Ryou intervenes in the background:" I don't!". Alice continued:" And look who arrived!" she pointed in a grand gesture to Lyca, who smiled kindly and waved.

Leonora's eyes lightened up and her expression softened at the sight of Lyca, she had lived with them up until she moved into her dormitory, and truth be told Leonora had missed her in the mansion, even if she herself lived in Denmark.

" _Lyca, my dear, how are you doing? Has the dorm treated you well? Is Ryou treating you well and fulfilling your wishes?"_ the woman held her hands as she spoke in rapid, fluent Danish. The group just stared blankly at the pair, feeling slightly…intimidated that such a powerful woman behaved so casual and familiar with one of their own. Hell, the "Asura" of Tootsuki being Soma's father had been a shock enough as it was!

 _"_ _Milady Leonora, thank you for asking I'm fine. And yourself? You seem to be quite happy getting to see Alice again! Yes, yes, the dorm treats me wonderfully. Though I do wish that Ryou shows me more respect and some manners!"_ she playfully winked at Ryou, who face palmed at the predicament he found himself in. Lately, he was the core target for the women in his lives, Alice and Lyca and even Lady Leonora, to annoy and ridicule.

" _Ohh, Ryou huh? Well, well, well, see. A little birdie told me things have been looking up for adorable Ryou and you! How cute! When is the wedding? Shall I make arrangements?"_ the white haired woman gushed, pinching Lyca's cheeks and gaining the same cartoonish eyes as her daughter.

They were definitely related.

Lyca blushed darkly, flailing her arms around in denial as Ryou sputtered in embarrassment:" A-adorable?! I'm not adorable!" he sighed heavily when Leonora pinched his cheeks too, still talking about their "wedding". They weren't even dating…and the woman was already planning a wedding and how many kids they would have…sheesh.

"Ah, am I disturbing? I heard the First Years of the Polar Star dorm will attend as well and I just couldn't pass that opportunity ya know?" the familiar deep voice from behind lady Leonora made the whole group freeze.

Lyca looked passed the Leonora and saw him, the fear in her rising slightly. Ryou's fists clenched, he immediately moved closer to Lyca.

"Hello Lyca, you look lovely in that dress tonight," complimented Rentaro Kusunoki with a charming smile.

* * *

 **The end for this chapter! I feared it would be too long so I just stopped it here! Thank you all for the previous reviews! Seriously…I'm review addicted. (clears throat) Right, anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I would be very happy about reviews! Feel free to share what you think may happen now that Rentaro joined the party! Will the Mad Dog and the Heat expert clash? Or will Lyca push aside her distrust and actually welcome him with open arms?**


	10. Temperature Change

**Hey guys! Thanks for the review Eramis8! I think I just may add a little fight scene, I've been quite peaceful up until now after all ;) I'm not too sure if all the characters are actually** ** _kept_** **in character so forgive me! . A hint: Ryou will challenge Rentaro to a Shokugeki but under what circumstances I won't tell! I'll try to follow the manga with minor changes.**

* * *

 **WARNINGS: If I hadn't said this before I'll say it now, since this story IS T Rated there WILL be some…use of certain language (mainly due to Ryou's, sometimes Soma's…etc. potty mouth!) Just wanted to make that clear! Well then, enjoy the story dear readers!**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own Shokugeki no Souma or any of its characters! I just own my OC!_**

 **Chapter 8: Temperature Change**

* * *

The Polar Stars including the Aldinis, Ikumi and Akira, who had just arrived, froze when they saw one of Central's dogs here.

Takumi clapped a hand on Souma's shoulder and asked in a hushed but alerted whisper:" Yukihira, why is he here? He shouldn't be here! Who invited him anyway?" Isami tried to calm his brother down, but he frowned at the sight of the Central teen, his hair didn't look as messy, he didn't wear that cross anymore and he wore a black, elegant suit with polished black shoes. The first button on his white button up shirt was unbuttoned, giving him a more casual appearance. Just what was going on?

Rentaro Kusunoki bowed his head in respect and said:" Greetings Lady Nakiri, thank you for inviting me to your beautiful mansion," .The tall woman smiled and said in her broken Japanese:" Ah, thanks for coming!" Alice looked at her mother in disbelief, why did she invite _him_ of all people? She didn't understand any of it, she glanced worriedly at Ryou.

Lyca cleared her throat uncomfortably, Ryou moved close to her and whispered in her ear softly:" Should we go somewhere-" Lyca firmly said:" No. I'm fine, don't worry." Ryou looked at her, his red eyes were swimming with concern.

Souma, Takumi and the rest of the boys looked either uncomfortable or angry all except Shun, who remained calm. Rentaro stepped forward straight towards Lyca and extended his hand. He looked at her with a smile and asked:" May I ask the lady for a dance?" before Ryou could rudely brush him off, Lyca smiled at him and said:" A-alright."

She expected him to be rough, just like the time when he gripped her arm but to her surprise he was very gentle, like she was made from glass. He gently enclosed her smaller hand into his larger one and led her gracefully to the dance floor. She shot a reassuring look to Ryou and the others, though the girls were all looking concerned, not buying her façade. They knew she felt uneasy, lady Leonora was observing the situation from the side, conversing quietly with her fuming daughter in Danish.

" _Mother! I can't believe you would invite someone from Central here! How could you?!"_ Alice's cheeks puffed out in annoyance, not understanding her mother's intentions. Her mother smiled and replied:" _Calm down, Alice dear. Everything will be alright, I received word of the encounter between Central and the Polar Star dorm. I talked to Gin and Kojirou, if he makes any trouble he will be immediately removed from the party. For now, let's observe."_ Alice nodded reluctantly, feeling the aura her mother was emitting.

She had meant what she said, if he caused trouble he definitely _will_ get kicked out from the mansion and if Central does anything rash toward any of the Tootsuki members, there will be severe consequences to pay. Judging her mother's serious aura, Alice had no doubt the punishment would be severe.

Yuki stuck her tongue out and whispered to Ryoko and Megumi:" Ew, why in the world is _he_ here?! Did Lady Leonora have a hand in this? Why did she invite him anyway? Why didn't Kurokiba step in and shoo him off?" Ryoko whispered back, her eyes fixated on the dancing pair:" He wanted to but Lyca said she was alright. You know her, she always gives people a second chance, even when they don't deserve one."

The girls looked to the side at Ryou, his fists were in his pockets, his eyes trained on the dancing pair like a hawk. He was watching them carefully, observing Rentaro's movements and looking for any signs that signaled Lyca wanted to get away from him.

Rentaro held her gently, his hand on her waist and the other holding her other one. To Lyca's surprise he wasn't aggressive or angry, instead he almost seemed…sad.

He cleared his throat, catching her attention and said:" Listen…I…I'm sorry about… hurting you. I truly didn't mean to… I really don't hate you or anything." He lowered his head in shame, Lyca froze but her feet oddly continued to move. He….apologized?

His eyes suddenly looked at her upper arm, the one where she used to have a bruise and said quietly:" I don't raise my hand on women…but I…I just…!" he lifted his gaze to look into her eyes and said:" I'm truly sorry. Azami Nakiri said you were our enemies and that we shouldn't show mercy to some shitty freshmen's…" he bit his lip in anger.

Lyca said softly after she recovered from her initial shock:" K-Kusunoki… I…thank you…" he looked at her in surprise, almost missing a step before he regained his composure and managed to avoid stepping on her feet.

Lyca lifted her head and looked directly into his eyes as she said:" Thanks for telling me the truth, I forgive you for your actions earlier but…" her demeanor changed, she said in a serious tone:" If you ever call my friends _lowlifes_ again, you will be receiving a punishment far worse than Ryou's punches." Her "wolf" persona was taking form, her eyes filling with true anger for treating her friends that way.

Rentaro carefully watched her expression, his usually arrogant and cocky attitude gone for once. He commented with a click of his tongue:" I see you aren't called the "Ferocious Wolf" in the kitchen for nothing. If they prove to be competent cooks, then I won't utter a single word against them." Lyca smirked and replied:" I do hope to see the look on your face when the day comes that we force Azami off the throne."

The grip on her hand tightened slightly but more on reflex than actual intent, he leaned closer to her and whispered in a low voice:" Look, since I don't hate you and you're nearly not as annoying as that Yukihira guy and Kurokiba, a word of advice." He leaned in even closer and whispered directly into her ear:" _Never_ badmouth Azami publicly, the man has connections worse than the Yakuza. If you want to stay here and stay alive, try to hold your tongue. I would hate to see you go so soon."

Lyca exhaled the breath she had been holding unconsciously when Rentaro distanced himself from her and continued to dance after he noticed they had stopped. He briefly glanced at the crowd of Lyca's friends, immediately spotting Ryou, who's dark, menacing aura clearly directed towards him was hard to miss. Rentaro couldn't resist but send him a smirk, faintly tightening his grip on Lyca's waist. No doubt the "Mad Dog" had noticed the action.

He had, judging by the further darkening of his aura as his eyes shone almost a demonic red. He focused his attention back to the young woman in his arms, who looked at him with a smirk. He froze, wondering what he did to deserve that look.

" You know, you're not frightening me with Azami. I'm used to dark, ominous people threatening my existence so whatever you say won't make my knees shake or give up the fight. We will beat Azami, me and the rest will make sure of it." She said that with a confidence Rentaro envied her for, secretly. Wasn't she afraid of the consequences she would have to face if she opposed Azami? He snorted, he was one to talk. He didn't like the bastard himself.

He asked:" I'm sorry about the thing I said about your parents…it wasn't right and it wasn't my place to judge you." He grit his teeth in anger, people often told him he didn't have much patience or anger problems…

 _"_ _Tch, if I have anger problems what do you call Kurokiba with his bandanna on? The man is a freaking monster! And pretty aggressive too the guy…"_ he shook his head at the thoughts about the fuming male just a few feet away.

"It's alright, I understand." Her reply was simple and short, he knew he hit a nerve with bringing up her troublesome past, so he tried to diffuse the situation before the ever threatening aura near him grew worse. He looked outside the balcony at the starry night and had an idea.

"Hey, what do you say we go outside on the balcony for a bit? It's a bit stuffy in here don't ya think?" she rose an eyebrow and said:" Oh, alright I guess." Rentaro sighed in relief, he was thankful to be away from all the prying eyes.

He shivered, he felt like for every glare that was currently trying to burn holes through his back he received an arrow…damn he had at least twenty something arrows stuck in his back already… Kurokiba's classified as at least ten arrows because of his… _intensive_ glare.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he inhaled the fresh air as they moved away from the celebration inside. He heard Lyca giggle and turned to her as she said with a small smile:" Sorry about my friends…I'm guessing you're relieved they're not trying to torture you in their minds now that you don't see them glaring." She covered her mouth to prevent herself from giggling again.

Rentaro shoved his hands in his pockets as he felt a uncharacteristic blush creeping up on his cheeks, he cleared his throat and asked:" So, you and Kurokiba?" Lyca turned to him with a questioning look in her eyes, combined with embarrassment.

"I see, I should have known it before from his reaction. Never touch a dog's territory if you don't want to get bitten…" he felt a not so light slap on his arm as Lyca glared at him with her hands on her hips and said:" Oi! I'm not "territory" and Ryou isn't a dog!"

He burst out laughing then, he slowly composed himself and said:" You're more riled up over the names than the claim? I'm guessing it's true then?" Lyca calmed down and looked inside, expecting to see Ryou but he was nowhere to be found. She sighed heavily and said:" No, we aren't romantically involved."

Rentaro leaned his elbows against the stone railing as he observed Lyca and asked:" You sound…disappointed?" she cleared her throat and replied:" No, no."

He felt a weird constricting feeling in his chest, but he ignored it. Weird.

"You know, I can't wait to have a Shokugeki against him." The tone he used didn't quite settle right with Lyca, it sounded too…eager. She asked suspiciously:" Why?" he looked at her sideways with a grin as he said:" So I can see the look of defeat on his face as I trample on his pride and wipe off that cocky smirk."

Lyca looked at him with a blank stare, before she moved close to him and roughly pinched his cheeks. He yelped and backed away from her prying hands. He roared:" What the hell was that for!?"

She crossed her arms and said:" For saying such things in front of me instead to him, that way I have to defend him." She huffed, Rentaro rose an eyebrow but it was quickly replaced with a smirk.

He suddenly moved incredibly close to her, their chests touching. He was towering over her by half a head, his orange/brown **(AN: Sorry if his eye color isn't correct, I saw a few colored pictures of him and on the wiki website it doesn't say** ** _what_** **color his eyes are so I can't say for sure.)** eyes bore into hers, gone was the teasing glint, instead it was replaced with a serious gaze.

Lyca felt uncomfortable, she was practically caged in. Her back met the stone behind her and Rentaro was cornering her from the front. Damn it. She had half a mind to call for Ryou. But she changed her mind, she was a big girl, she could do this.

He asked:" So…" trailing off. Lyca blinked and repeated slowly, confused:" Soo…" she averted her gaze but when he leaned in even closer it forced her to look at him again. His presence was almost suffocating.

"Would you like to-"

"What are you doing to her?" a deep, menacing voice asked from behind them. Lyca froze, immediately recognizing who spoke.

She whispered softly:" Ryou…" Rentaro frowned and turned around, releasing Lyca from her "imprisonment". There stood Ryou Kurokiba, hands shoved in his pockets, his red eyes almost glowing in fury, his frown making his appearance that much more intimidating.

Rentaro smirked cockily and mocked:" Oh? Me? What did it seem like, Kurokiba? My intentions were pure and innocent, I assure you." He held his hands up in peace, chancing a glance at the shell shocked Lyca.

Ryou's frown only deepened at the remark, the guy was trying to get under his skin and it was working wonderfully. Ryou was _this_ close to pummeling him to the ground.

"Ryou, it's not what it-" Rentaro interrupted her though:" I was just about to ask her if she had time next Thursday. I'm having a Shokugeki and I wanted to ask her if she would like to come and see it." His face was telling the truth, but Ryou was still highly suspicious.

He stepped forward and said lowly:" For asking such a simple question, you were awfully close to her…weren't you?" his eyes took on a sharper appearance as if he were wearing his bandanna.

The temperature seemed to have boiled over, the liquid heat both males were emitting almost suffocated her. Lyca stepped forth and said:" Um, R-Ryou, why don't you go and ask Alice if she still has that chocolate cake I like so much? I'll be there in a minute." At the stubborn look he shot her, indicating he wasn't leaving she pleaded with her eyes "Please."

He stood there for a few, long minutes…before he breathed deeply, probably to calm himself down and disappearing back into the lively party inside.

Lyca sighed heavily, feeling the air finally not so sticky anymore. Rentaro cleared his throat, his eyes questioning as he looked at her expectantly.

"I'm still waiting for an answer." He said as he observed her reaction.

"YOU WERE SERIOUS?!" she almost shouted comically, pointing a accusing finger at him. He chuckled briefly and said:" Of course, I wouldn't have said it otherwise now would I? So, are you willing to go? The choice is yours."

She narrowed her eyes before she said after a while:" Um…a-alright I-" he interrupted:" _Without_ your faithful dog." She glared at him crossly for calling her best friend a dog, _again_.

She sighed and said:" Alright, I'll go." His face suddenly changed to a surprisingly happy expression, the tense lines relaxing and making him appear younger and…relaxed. She blinked and found a blush taking over her face. She averted her gaze shyly, trying to tell herself she was just nervous being with someone from Central all alone.

She asked:" But…why me? The whole of Central will be there anyway, I'm sure you don't need me." He looked at her and said:" That's for me to decide." She rose an eyebrow at his cryptic answer.

Before she could ask him anything else, he suddenly took her hand and kissed the back of it gently. The action made her face turn a hot pink, her wide eyes looking down at his bowed form. He caressed the back of her knuckles gently with his calloused fingers, he whispered:" I'm sorry for hurting you." Why was he apologizing again?

He straightened and looked into her eyes as he promised:" It will never happen again." She smiled at him, he looked and definitely sounded sincere. She said:" Don't worry about it, really. I'm alright." She watched as his tattoo moved with his cheeks as he frowned slightly.

He suddenly turned away from her and said:" I wish we could have met under different circumstances." She smiled warmly and said:" Me too…Rentaro." She couldn't see it, but he smiled when he heard her call him by his name.

He said:" See you around, wolf princess." As he left her standing alone at the balcony, his form disappeared in the crowd of the party.

She watched the direction where he disappeared into, her thoughts still on their conversation.

"I would be more careful around him." The voice of Soma rang out from behind her, cleverly concealed by the shadows. She whirled around in surprise, since when was he there?!

"S-Souma, h-how did you?" he said seriously:" Lyca…that guy hurt you. I believe everyone deserves a second chance but you're too open with that guy. You saw how Kurokiba reacted, they will clash swords soon." Souma's golden eyes blazed.

She was quiet before she said with a determined expression on her face:" I know Souma, but like you said, everyone deserves a second chance. We got one too didn't we?" her smile was soft and understanding as Souma's gaze softened as well. He sighed heavily and said:" Still, be on your guard. It could still be a trap set by Azami."

She took the arm he offered her and said as they headed inside:" I know, don't worry about me I can handle myself." Souma sent her a warm grin as he escorted her to their friends, they were immediately bombarded with questions.

* * *

Rentaro was exiting the large mansion of the Nakiri family when a low, deep voice sounded from behind to his right:" Stay away from her." None other than Ryou appeared from the shadows he was hiding behind, his appearance under the moonlight ever the more intimidating.

Rentaro stopped, he asked with a smile:" Now why would I do that? I quite enjoy her company if you hadn't noticed." He felt more than saw Ryou's dark aura as he moved close to the male, their height approximately the same, though Ryou was slightly taller. Blazing red eyes clashed with boiling orange/brown ones, the temperature seemed to have gone up by at least 80 degrees.

"Don't tempt me, I'm not above beating you black and blue Kusunoki." His eyes narrowed, his form tense and alert, the muscles beneath his clothes bulging as if in preparation.

"Is that so Kurokiba? You are just a worthless dog, so very territorial over something that isn't even his to begin with." Ryou gripped Rentaro's wrist but the male swiftly gripped Kurokiba's tightly, locked in a stalemate. "What do you know? You're just sprouting bullshit anyway!"

Rentaro's demeanor darkened, his face serious as he said lowly:" Oh really? I have to wonder, if she really were yours, why didn't she push me away? Why didn't she admit that you were close when I asked her?" he locked eyes with Ryou, never wavering.

Almost simultaneously, they released each-others wrists. Ryou's head was lowered slightly, in no means submissively though, as he said:" If you make her feel uncomfortable again…"

Ryou lifted his head, the moonlight hit his face, highlighting the menacing, _feral_ expression he had as his eyes danced with fire:" You will pay with more than just your position in Central."

With that, Ryou returned inside the mansion, the atmosphere gradually relaxing as Rentaro's demeanor dropped. It was a threat, a promise. Though Rentaro was always known to play well with fire.

This was no exception.

* * *

Lyca was searching high and low for Ryou but couldn't find him anywhere, she only spotted him when she started running in the direction of the mansion's entrance. She nearly bumped into him if it weren't for his arms supporting her.

She looked up at him and asked concerned:" R-Ryou! Where were you?" she looked behind him but saw no trace of Rentaro anywhere, maybe they didn't run into each-other just now?

Ryou carefully masked his anger and said:" I was out taking a breather. The air here was stifling." She didn't buy it, not from the angry red eyes looking into hers. The anger wasn't directed at her but at something else. Or rather some _one_ else.

"Tell me the truth." He remained unaffected, she continued:" We have known each-other for far too long Ryou. You can't hide your anger from me." She stood her ground. And suddenly she was left breathless.

It was unexpected and certainly not exactly…characteristic of him to do it. She was enveloped by strong trained arms, held tightly against a warm, solid body as he hugged her tightly to him. One of his hands was tangled into her hair while the other held her by her waist, almost… possessively.

"I wanted to step in…" she blinked, she managed a weak:" Huh?" before Ryou continued:" When he…when he moved so close to you…I wanted to step in and push him back, away from you. I knew you were uncomfortable, I could see it."

Lyca sighed heavily, her body relaxing into Ryou's touch as she leaned against him. She nestled her face in the crook of his neck and said quietly:" I'm sorry."

"What for?" Ryou asked, Lyca closed her eyes as she said:" For not pushing him away. I knew he wouldn't hurt me but I was curious to what he wanted to ask me. If he had done anything else I would have pushed him away." His grip tightened on her as he replied:" I know."

He did know, he believed her. She was his best…friend. Ryou trembled for a moment, Lyca's eyes flashed with concern but he slowly disentangled himself from her, putting a respectable distance between them again.

He was calm now, she could see it. She smiled warmly and said:" Come on, the others are waiting and the party still isn't over." Ryou nodded, he stopped short and as if he remembered, he offered Lyca his arm. She smiled and wrapped her arm around his.

They walked together to their group of friends, in the meantime Erina had also arrived, wearing a beautiful long white dress, Souma was teasing her again and she looked like she wanted to throw the nearest table at him.

Ryou looked at Lyca as she laughed with the others when Erina and Souma continued to bicker with each-other.

 _You are just a worthless dog, so very territorial over something that isn't even his to begin with._

His hands clenched into tight fists inside of his pants pockets. Ryou was angry. Angry at himself.

Angry at Kusunoki.

Why?

Because the bastard was right.

* * *

 **Phew! Hehe I mentioned a fight but I changed my mind, they clashed swords more or less by their confrontation outside, the continuation of that will follow later. Well, PLEASE PLEASE leave me some reviews guys! You know I love reviews more than likes or anything! *.***

 **BTW: Tell me what you thought about Ryou's behavior? What about Lyca's and Rentaro's? Oh and what about Leonora? Why did she invite him to the celebration, knowing that Central and them weren't in good relations? Any ideas dear readers? ;)**


	11. Put your headgear on!

**Heya guys! Another chapter done and ready to be served! Hope you enjoy! (peace sign insert)**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Shokugeki no Souma, I only own my OC!_**

 **Chapter 9: Put your headgear on!**

* * *

"Well, that was…interesting wasn't it?" Ryoko asked as she and the rest of Polar Star were walking towards their dorm.

"Hm…" Ryou hummed, he was quite…annoyed to say the least.

Souma crossed his arms and said:" Don't worry Kurokiba, we will teach Central what it means serving a great dish! They won't know what hit them!" he grinned good naturedly.

Ryou's eyes snapped to Souma's yellow ones as he said:" Don't go picking Shokugeki's you can't win Yukihira."

Souma's face turned cartoonish as he moved close to Ryou and elbowed him lightly as he said:" Ohh? Then why did you pick a Shokugeki with Lyca huuuh? If ya can't win Kurokiba? Huuuh?" Souma snickered.

Red flames suddenly surrounded Ryou as he ground his head against Souma's and said with bared teeth:" What did you say Yukihira?! Of course I can win, don't be so stu-argh!" a very ticked off Lyca was behind them, grinding both their heads together.

She huffed with a evil look in her eye as she said:" What was that Ryou?" her smile was sweet and devilish at the same time, Ryoko took a few steps away from the three.

Ryou rubbed his head and looked at her, he wanted to say something but instead he just turned around.

 _Get a grip on yourself._

"Ryou?" he forced himself to look forward and not react to the slight concern he heard in her voice.

Lyca sent a blank, confused look at Souma and Ryoko. Odd…Ryou would have tried bashing Souma's head in by now. Or at least bicker with Lyca but he was…quiet.

Too quiet. Lyca kept stealing concerned looks at the back of her friend's head, something was wrong, she could sense it. Perhaps it was because of Rentaro? She shook her head, better not dwell on it for too long.

"Say Kurokiba, how comes you aren't with Alice? I'm sure you're needed in the mansion." Yuki innocently asked, her eyebrows rising in confusion. Usually he was with Alice, well Lyca was mostly with him too.

"Milady Alice didn't have any objections when I departed, I'm sure she's fine on her own." He replied shortly.

Yuki blanched and whispered to Megumi:" Wow, he's seriously in a bad mood." Megumi swallowed and nodded, she sped up her pace and walked alongside Lyca.

She leaned closer to the older girl and asked quietly:" Um Lyca, i-it's not really m-my business b-but are you sure K-Kurokiba is alright?" Lyca frowned, worry was etched all over her face.

She sighed and shook her head, she looked at Megumi and said softly:" No, I'm not sure at all Megumi. I don't know what to do, you see in what mood he is. I'm afraid what will happen with Central now…" she rubbed her forehead in frustration before her eyes widened when a heavy weight settled over her shoulders.

Ryou was right beside her! Megumi squeaked in surprise, her braid almost flying up in the air on its own, talk about "shocked hair". (A/N: Yeah, yeah bad pun I get it :P)

Ryou said with a determined expression, the fire in his eyes burning brightly:" Tch, _nothing_ will happen with Central because _I_ won't let some wannabe chefs trample on our pride and pull those stunts with us again! Right Yukihira?!"

Souma grinned widely at Ryou and said:" You bet Kurokiba! Don't worry Lyca, we will definitely beat Central and win!" he winked.

Lyca sighed, but a small smile grazed her lips.

Ryou looked down at her with a softer expression, the annoyance from before was gone. He smirked at her and said:" We survived in a kitchen full of grown men and lead it. Central doesn't have a flick of the experience that we have with customers."

Lyca had to agree with him, most of Central's students didn't have much of experience or even worked in real restaurants before.

In a moment where she felt her courage grow, she linked her hand with Ryou's. When he looked at her quizzically, she smiled warmly and said:" Yeah, we will definitely win." Ryou smirked at her, though it was soft and lost some of its usual edge and sharpness.

She believed they could win, if they tried hard enough. They could.

* * *

 _I watched them dancing to the tune of the gentle music, swaying and gracefully keeping in step. Secretly I was hoping that the bastard did something wrong and that Lyca would **finally** push him away, but he didn't, they still danced, they still talked, they were still **so close**!_

 _I looked at Yukihira and milady Erina, they kept fighting like an old married couple, they reminded me a bit of lady Leonora and mister Natsu, years before._

 _I clenched my fist in my pocket tightly, I felt my anger rising. How dare he touch her so casually? So familiarly? Only I was allowed to-_

 _I bit my tongue hard._

 _No, I wasn't allowed. Nobody was. She didn't belong to anyone, she only belonged to herself. She wasn't taken._

 _She wasn't mine._

 _I averted my gaze for a while, I had to control myself before I made a scene in the mansion. I looked back at milady Alice and Leonora, they were talking and joking. I frowned when I saw milady Alice sending me a knowing look._

 _I forced my eyes back on them, but they were gone. They weren't there!_

 _I looked everywhere, I didn't care if I pushed against the dancing pairs, I had to find Lyca and get her away from the fire bastard._

 _I ran towards the balcony and froze, there they were._

 _He was holding her tightly and **kissing** her. Kissing her like she was **his** , but she wasn't. I couldn't control my rage, it was like I was in berserk mode, only much stronger. I ran towards them and pried the bastard away from her, I punched him hard._

 _We fought for a while before the others came, Yukihira and Aldini were holding me back, the younger Aldini and Ibusaki were holding Kusunoki back from punching me. I didn't care, I wanted **his** blood on **my** hands!_

 _"What are you doing Kurokiba?! Calm down damn it!" Yukihira shouted, restraining me from lunging back in the fight. I was livid, I shouted:" That bastard kissed her!"_

 _Everyone gasped, Lyca was holding a hand over her mouth, her look crestfallen. It only made me angrier._

 _Kusunoki growled:" What I do is none of your business!" I barked:" She's my lady you asshole! Of course it's my business!" Lyca walked away._

 _"Unlike you, I don't want to be her **dog**." I grew angrier and freed myself from Yukihira and Aldini, punching the bastard again hard before I ran after Lyca._

 _"Lyca!" I shouted after her, finally catching up and gripping her arm. She tried to free herself but I pulled her close to me and held her tightly. She kept punching my chest repeatedly as she said:" Stop it Ryou! Get away from me! I don't want you, I want Rentaro not you!"_

 _I froze, my blood running cold._

 _I released her and suddenly Kusunoki appeared before us with a smirk, spreading his arms wide._

 _Lyca ran happily toward him, hugging him….hugging him… I fell to my knees._

 _Kusunoki held her and smirked, he spat:" You are just a worthless dog, so very territorial over something that isn't even his to begin with." My eyes widened, I stood up and tried to reach them but I couldn't._

 _I was suddenly in Denmark, in the restaurant I used to lead, my men were all standing around me, glaring at me, laughing at me, ridiculing me…they threw me out on the streets._

 _I picked myself up, they slammed the door shut and left me out. What the hell was going on?!_

 _I wiped my mouth and looked up towards the grey sky when I felt a raindrop on my forehead. Damn it all to hell! What was going on?! Why did Lyca leave with **him**?!_

 _"Ryou…" I turned around, it was her. Lyca. She smiled warmly and said:" I missed you, Ryou." I ran towards her and before I could hold her, she was gone._

 _Kusunoki appeared again, his grin was almost murderous as he said:" Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away."_

"NO!" Ryou sat up, sweat slowly running down his face and bare torso, he shivered from the chill he was experiencing.

* * *

"Uh, you want me to be one of the judges?" Ryoko asked completely perplexed, staring at Lyca and Ryou. They both nodded firmly, Ryoko sat down, beside her were Erina and Souma.

Erina grumbled:" Why in the world did I have to be invited to such a simple Shokugeki?! I have a very busy schedule and am not in any way bound to be here!" she crossed her arms in annoyance.

Souma grinned and said:" Oh come on Nakiri! It will be fun! We finally get to see Kurokiba and Lyca have a Shokugeki against each-other!"

"D-don't speak so casually w-with me Y-Yukihira!" steam was coming out of her ears and she turned away from him, blushing darkly. Ryoko placed a hand to her mouth to hide her smile.

The atmosphere turned serious as Lyca and Ryou were obviously preparing themselves for their cooking duel, Lyca said:" Ryou…just because we grew up together doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."

Ryou lifted his gaze, wild, dangerous, _feral_ and said with a grin:" Tch, as if I ever pulled my punches with you." Both nodded, a knife in their hands.

Erina looked at each of them and decided:" Alright, the main ingredient will be pork! You can use any ingredients you find!"

Once Erina gave the cue to go, Ryou and Lyca immediately set to work, each preparing their own dish.

Lyca, while she was preparing the meat, placed a jar of honey next to her other ingredients and that made Souma's eyebrows arch in curiosity. He leaned over and asked Ryoko:" Hmm…what do you think she's making?"

Ryoko placed a hand to her chin in thought as she said:" Well, since it's only the beginning, it's far too early to tell yet but she will use the honey most probably to tenderize the meat and add flavor to the dish."

Erina nodded and added:" Lyca specializes in Western and Japanese cuisine but she's also very knowledgeable of seafood, I'm guessing from her time spent with Kurokiba. Her cooking style varies though, which sometimes puzzles me. I haven't seen her often cooking but from the few times I could tell she was capable of mastering complicated and more refined dishes as well as very simple ones. Though she chooses to primarily cook rather simple, commoner dishes. I wonder why…"

She eyed Lyca's focused hands, seasoning the meat just right, she had a knack for seasonings, especially in combination with meat and soups. Her fuchsia eyes narrowed when she noticed Ryou briefly looking at Lyca from behind him.

"He's monitoring her movements." Souma suddenly piped in, following Erina's line of sight. "I remember monitoring Tadokoro the same way when he had that Shokugeki against Shinomiya, though I was doing that because I was her sous chef. Hmm…" his look was thoughtful as he was watching Kurokiba's movements closely.

Then suddenly when both chefs turned around at the same time, they almost collided but Ryou quickly gripped her wrists to prevent her from directly colliding with him. Lyca squeaked in surprise and blinked owlishly up at her best friend.

Ryou said:" Sorry." Looked down at the female chef.

Lyca shook her head and said:" Uh, right. Sorry…" she quickly refocused on the task at hand. And suddenly she practically jumped in front of the judges.

Erina was the only one who jumped in her seat from surprise at her sudden close proximity.

Lyca asked with a sweet smile:" I'll return soon, let me just get something from the garden!" with that she was gone in a whirlwind out the door.

Erina blinked and asked:" T-the garden?" with no small amount of confusion

Ryoko smiled and clarified:" Well, you said they were allowed to use any ingredients they can _find_ , you never restricted that to the kitchen."

Lyca was smart, Erina had to hand it to her.

Souma grinned and said cheerfully:" Well, seems like it's just you and us here Kuro-" he turned around to directly look at the man, but he was nowhere to be found.

"EEHHH!?" Erina and Souma yelped in surprise. Where was he?!

Ryoko giggled behind her hand and said:" Well, it seems like Lyca's not the only one who is thinking outside the box."

Erina and Souma shared a look, but Erina quickly averted her gaze with a hot blush and kept looking everywhere except for the annoying redhead chef.

* * *

Lyca hummed to herself as she was carefully scanning over the various herbs in their large garden, as she picked a selective few of them, she stood up and sharply turned, resulting in her colliding with a hard, warm object.

She yelped and almost fell if it weren't for the two hands holding her upright by her wrists.

She shot a playful glare at Ryou, who was looking down at her. She huffed and said:" Oi! Ryou! You're standing in my way!" she pouted heavily.

Ryou looked at her fleetingly before he asked:" Would you have stopped him?"

She blinked several times. Uhh…stopped who? Lyca tilted her head to the side and asked:" Stopped who? From _what_?"

Ryou suddenly snapped at her like a viper:" You know exactly what!"

She frowned and said:" Stop shouting. You're as venomous as a snake when you wannabe be…Meanie." She crossed her arms, continuing her search of ingredients.

Then Ryou snapped. _Literally._

Lyca's eyes widened when she found herself falling into a pond occupied by all sorts of fish, Ryou's heavy weight on top of her. She screamed in shock and felt the cold water surround her.

Ryou, for his part, was soaked but he observed as she got out of the water.

Her headband on.

Her eyes were practically demonic as she looked at him and he sensed like some parts of his body were in imminent danger. So he did what felt logical at the time.

He splashed her.

 **Cliffhangeeer! ^^ Weeell…what do you think so far? Please leave some reviews! What do you think what will they be cooking?**


	12. Not What I was Expecting

**Sorry for the late update! Hope everyone enjoys this chapter! :D Thanks a lot for the previous reviews! I will be sure to keep your advice and suggestions to heart and change the fic accordingly! *wave***

 **Chapter 10: Not What I was Expecting**

* * *

Lyca stood there trying to strangle the hell out of Ryou.

First the guy pushes her into a pond, _apparently_ tripping over her, _then_ he decides it's fun to splash her? Oh, she would get her revenge!

Lyca screeched in surprise as Ryou dived toward her and she fell like a log back into the shallow water, he suddenly started shaking.

She blinked. It took her a few seconds to realize that he was _laughing_ at her.

"R-Ryou you stupid! Get the hell off me!" she huffed and attempted to roll him off, but he was too heavy. Where did he put that weight anyway? He wasn't fat just well-built.

She shook her head and sighed in relief when Ryou slowly stood up and with a smirk on his face, he helped her up.

He chuckled lowly, "Sorry about that, princess." Oh she knew the bastard wasn't sorry _at all_! She tried to squeeze the water out of her clothing as best as she could while keeping an eye on Ryou the whole time, he was unpredictable at times, even for her.

"Herbs?" Ryou inspected the herbs on the ground that had fallen from Lyca's grasp earlier, "Parsley, bay leaf (laurel), thyme?" he looked at her, a smirk.

"So, you plan on causing a explosion of spices which go with pork?" he leaned closer to her then, "overwhelming the senses and the taste buds." Lyca shivered slightly, Ryou's smirk only widened, feral.

" _Get your head out of the gutter! Focus! He's just trying to confuse and fluster you! Come on, where's the wolf that bares its teeth at the dog?"_ Lyca grit her teeth, time to get serious.

When Ryou looked at her this time, he felt that competitive streak rise in him again, she was back. The wolf was back it seemed.

" If you don't want me to use _you_ as my next experimental dish, then get the hell out of my way and let me do my work." She brushed past him picking up her herbs not before turning her head slightly to add, "I believe my meat is done curing." and with that she made her way back to the kitchen.

Ryou smirked, plucking a single herb from a tree, before also heading inside.

"Do you think something happened?" Ryoko leaned closer to Soma to whisper, observing the fiery aura in the kitchen. She was sure if she started measuring the temperature, there would be _at least_ 80 degrees between Ryou and Lyca.

"They are really fired up huh?" Soma either ignored or didn't hear Ryoko's whispering question, the redhead's look was focused, calculating, watching their movements.

"Lyca is done with curing the meat, she used bay leaves from a laurus plant to form a circle around the meat she placed in a generous amount of oil. Parsley, finely chopped onions, thyme and ground pepper were used as additional seasonings, applying it directly to the meat, coating it all around. She made shallow, horizontal cuts so the inside is exposed, the flavor could also spread from within very well thanks to that. Her knowledge of meat and seasonings are very good so she's using the main theme of the dish to her advantage."

His eyes turned to Ryou, "Kurokiba's specialty is seafood but he doesn't seem to have any difficulties with preparing pork. He'll probably use a thing or two from molecular gastronomy, courtesy of Alice, he used the tenderloin of the pork. Usually paired up with a extra layer of fat to prevent it from drying out, adding juiciness and flavor."

The two girls seated on either side of Soma looked at him for a split second before the redhead jerked his head multiple times between them in confusion, "What? I can be serious when I want to ya know?" a bead of sweat appeared on his forehead at their dumbstruck expressions.

" _Hm, Yukihira is right. The tenderloin of the pork has a slight sweetness to it, because of that experimenting with spices is relatively up to the cook. However, what part of pork did Lyca choose?"_ The God's Tongue's watchful gaze rested on Lyca, who had her back turned to them the whole time. Ryou was facing them, so it was easy to see what he was doing, but Lyca was either making a big secret of what meat she used or she liked her space.

" _My guess falls on the latter…"_ Erina exhaled softly, the air was suffocating.

She could see how both parties were motivated to earn the title of winner for themselves, their spirits powerful and strong as they worked on their respective dishes.

She was curious to find out how it will all taste in the end, though she had hunch she wouldn't have to wait long or be disappointed for that matter.

* * *

" _I have to win! I can't let Ryou tell me what to do by the end of this! He will definitely think of something wicked like play house maid or serve him food for two weeks or something even worse!"_ A picture of her dressed in a maid's outfit, cleaning Ryou's room, while he was sitting leisurely on a chair, grinning and laughing.

 _"_ _Oh Lyca, you missed a spot there." Ryou's deep voice purred, he gestured to his lap, a wicked, hungry grin on his lips._

 _Lyca's eyes widened, her cheeks flushed, nevertheless she obeyed her master and bent down to look him straight in the eyes:" Oh Master, where do I still need to clean?"_

 _Ryou, wicked grin in place, whispered lowly into her ear:" Cleaning's far from mind right now."She let out a squeal as Ryou pulled her into his lap and started to kiss and bite her neck, leaving hickeys._

 _"_ _Kya! M-master! Don't leave m-marks! Everyone will see!"_

 _"_ _Let them, you're mine." His red eyes burned with hunger, his grin feral._

Lyca's head shook furiously from side-to-side, her cheeks dark red and heating. What the hell was she _thinking_?! She _never_ thought such things before! Hell no!

"Oi, you alright?" Ryou asked from right next to her, grabbing the salt at the same time from beside her on the other side.

The poor girl almost jumped out of her skin at his close proximity and mumbled:" Y-yeah." She quickly masked her expression and Ryou rose an eyebrow at her cover-up. Why were her cheeks so red? Before he could voice his question, she already turned away from him and continued her work.

He watched her for a second before continuing his own work, a grin suddenly splitting over his face. He would find out, one way or another.

Lyca furiously yet precisely worked on her dish, turning the oven on and preparing a sauce immediately after.

Ryou and her never talked in the kitchen, except for a few exchanged words, but nothing major. This was an exception since she….was behaving odd. Yeah, odd…

Like Soma mentioned not too long ago when he had his Shokugeki against Mito:" _It's common knowledge that any chef who talks too much in the kitchen can't be trusted to have actual skills._ "

And he was right with that, which is why everyone in their circle of friends never sprouted any "big speeches" while cooking, what was the point? Your whole concentration should be on your cooking and not on the person you're cooking against, not only would it prevent the cook from using the full potential of the dish and unveiling it to the fullest, but also from using their skills as cooks.

If you asked her, if all you valued was fame and money as a cook, you didn't deserve to be called one. Cooking was so much more than just earning money with it and getting praised for your dishes.

Of course, everyone, including herself, wanted to get to the top, but making people happy with her dishes and growing as a cook and person was more important to her than fame and money.

She let the generous amount of butter melt away in the frying pan, adding a touch of salt before pouring red wine in it.

Lyca grinned wickedly, the fire in her eyes dancing as did the fire beneath her pan. When she heard the signature beeping noise of the oven she whipped around, took her masterpiece out and poured the sauce meticulously around and on her meat.

"Yosh! I hope you guys have some appetite!" she grinned, dividing her dish into equal portions for Soma, Ryoko and Erina.

"Dig in and enjoy your meal." She took off her bandanna, wrapping it around her neck as she patiently waited for the judges to try her dish.

Soma was the first to try, happily eating until he stopped with a thoughtful look on his face, his eyes slightly widened.

" _Wait a little second! The meat!"_ his eyes took in its crispy texture but inside it was tender, the juices just spilling out when pressure was applied, it was a dark brown with a red hue, not burnt by all means yet the slightly smoky taste was there. When he cut it right down the middle it was like he was blinded by how delicious it looked.

" _Stuffing?! She actually stuffed the pork butt with a mixture of potatoes, onions, finely cut parsley…despite the pork butt being a far more thicker part of pork, which requires long hours of controlled cooking, Lyca pulled it off within just two hours! But wait…_

 _She did something earlier….with the meat.."_

Soma lifted his head to look directly at Lyca, he asked:" Lyca…what did you do earlier to the meat?" she rose an eyebrow at his question.

"You used the pork butt as your main dish, it's common knowledge that the pork butt, which is the thicker part of the pig's shoulder, it carries a good amount of flavor on its own but thanks to your use of the right ingredients you balanced the spiciness and sweetness to create a harmony of spices and meat. But…what did you use to get it tender? As I recall, you put it in the oven _twice_."

Ryou, Ryoko and Erina listened eagerly, though Erina had a hunch…

Lyca turned around briefly to retrieve something from her table before reappearing with a small jar of honey in her hand, "I used honey. I glazed the surface and all around it with honey just so, since it's flavor was already strong, I put it in the oven for it to develop a slightly crispy texture but not yet to be done, after all I still needed to prepare the stuffing and coat it in seasonings to add additional flavor. That's why you probably tasted a slight sweetness to it." She smiled.

Soma planted his fist in his palm, "Aha! Honey! That's why it was slightly sweet! I was wondering what you did with that honey..." Ryoko giggled.

Now it was her turn. She let the overpowering flavor of the juiciness of the meat, the finely diced onions, the seasonings-

The seasonings.

"I must say, you picked a good holy trinity to go with that particular part of the pork." As Ryoko said this with a approving smile on her face, Soma just blankly stared at her.

"Holy…holy trident? What?" Soma sighed heavily, a bead of sweat on his forehead.

"Y-you i-incompetent c-commoner! That's not what she said!" Erina fumed at Soma's lack of knowledge of the culinary world, tch.

She composed herself quickly as she evaluated:" Holy trinity…is a Cajun variation of mire poix, the cutting technique to cut ingredients in fine cubes. In general, Holy trinity are three very important ingredients used in a dish, without them the dish would be incomplete and lack the base.

In the Cajun cuisine, the holy trinity refers to a combination of onions, bell peppers and celery, the base for much of the cooking in Louisiana, USA. However, variations can also be parsley, garlic and shallots or really any other fitting combination the chef thinks of.

Lyca employed some of the rules of the Cajun cuisine, her holy trinity were onions, cayenne pepper and oregano. You added thyme and bay leaves (laurus) in addition to the holy trinity. Bay leaves, in particular from the plant laurus, are more commonly used in soups and occasionally sauces, however you used them in combination with pork and ingredients such as onions, who naturally have a overpowering scent. Yet you can still taste the bay leaves faintly.

Honey is common to tenderize the meat, you cut the meat open horizontally so the flavors of all the spices and seasonings could also be absorbed within the meat." Lyca smiled and nodded at Erina's explanation.

Ryoko put a finger to her chin and said:" Truth to be told I was completely overpowered by all the delicious flavors of your dish, Lyca. It was like…like a inferno, the flame slowly becoming brighter and brighter until it bursts into a explosion of seasonings and meat! I….I have enjoyed it very much." She smiled at Lyca, a blush on her cheeks.

"Have a taste." It seemed like Ryou was done with his dish too.

The scent of the dish alone caused Erina and Ryoko to squirm in their seats, Soma's sharp golden eyes fixed themselves on Ryou's dish, as if threatening to burn them all to ashes if they didn't give it good praise.

Soma shared a look with his rival/friend and tasted his dish. His taste buds were immediately assaulted.

Unlike Lyca, who used more spices to assist in bringing out the flavor, Ryou didn't use many spices at all. Salt ,pepper, oregano, chopped onions… wine to coat the meat…but what else…

"Aha!" Soma's eyes widened in realization, "So, you tried overwhelming our senses just like Lyca did earlier huh Kurokiba?" the chef only smirked at Soma's observation.

" Kurokiba used the tenderloin, meat which is not very generous on fat. To prevent it from drying out and keep its juiciness intact he wrapped it in…bacon." He smirked.

Ryoko added: "You seasoned it before that with…salt, pepper and oregano enhancing the flavor slightly, you poured your sauce over it _before_ getting it cooked, so it won't get too crispy while in the oven."

Erina crossed her arms, her look calculating as she shared her opinion:" You cooked a consommé to pour over it from time to time while it was cooked, the rich flavor of the consommé tenderized the meat and added a richness in saltiness and you brought out the umami flavor in its most complicated form."

Her gaze locked on Ryou, his gaze unwavering, he looked like a rabid dog, fire consuming his eyes, burning bright like the intensity of a thousand suns and more. Lyca's spirit burned just as brightly, both eager to win this match for themselves, however only one could win this Shokugeki and Erina already knew who.

She said:" Let's announce the cook who we thought has served us the better dish."

"Ryou."

"Lyca."

"Kurokiba."

Lyca's blood froze in her veins, an icy veil settling over her entire body. No…this just didn't happen.

Ryou took off his headband, looking not the least bit fazed by his victory. Lyca clenched her fists and bit the inside of her cheek, she knew what she did wrong. Or rather was she _lacked_.

While she put more focus of creating a explosion of spices that at the same time enhance and wrap up the overall flavor of her pork, Ryou used only the necessary spices, wine and his creativity to bring out the full flavor of meat itself, no additional spices that threatened to possibly overwhelm the taster too much.

She was surprised. Ryou usually went for the frontal approach, overwhelm the eaters senses completely and leave them in a daze but today he….he looked controlled. Perhaps she should also pull the reins back on herself.

Maybe meditation would help…

She sent a bright smile Soma and Ryoko's way when she noticed how they looked apologetically at her. "Oi, what's with the long faces guys? I'm not mad at you that I lost, besides Ryoko you did choose me!"

The girl frowned lightly and replied:" But it still wasn't enough that you win Lyca." Lyca just shook her head, she didn't take the loss too hard, if anything she would have to improve her skills further and cook with Ryou again to learn a thing or two more.

And suddenly a chill raced up and down her spine.

Oh, oh.

"Uh, Lyca, say didn't you have some bet or something going on with Kurokiba?" Soma scratched his head, looking back and forth between Ryou and Lyca, failing to miss the thick atmosphere in the kitchen.

"We did, Yukihira." Ryou answered, his voice low and…dangerous.

Kill her now.

"Bet? What bet?" Erina curiously asked, also looking at Lyca's panicked expression and at Ryou's devilish one.

"If I win, I will get whatever I want." Ryou's smirk was far too devilish to be good for Lyca's health.

Soma stepped between them and asked clueless:" And what is that Kurokiba?" Ryou smirked and suddenly lifted Lyca into his arms, ignoring her complains and attempts to sic him.

Erina blushed a thousand shades of red, her mind overflowing with many scenes of the countless shoujo mangas she had been secretly reading when she thought Alice wasn't in the room. How very wrong she was…what were cameras for after all?

"H-how indecent! I-I-I can't b-believe A-Alice's aide w-w-would d-do such c-crude things to L-Lyca!" Erina covered her burning face, she almost jumped ten feet in the air when Soma suddenly appeared beside her.

"Oho? Crude things? Indecent? What the hell are you talking about? I thought he said that they would go cleaning or somethin'."

More indecent fantasies flooded Erina's mind and the poor girl succumbed to her overactive imagination.

She fainted.

"You think she has a fever? Her face is all red." Soma noted how bright her cheeks were. Ryoko shook her head with a sigh.

"I don't think she has a fever Soma…"

* * *

"Ryou! I promise, please ,please, pleeeassse, if you let me off the hook now I will do whatever you say later! Pleaseee!" Lyca begged him but he was unrelenting as his iron grip on her didn't falter as they headed away from the Polar Star residence, "And where the hell are you taking me?!"

A smirk, "Why wait when you can do all the things I want now, _milady_?" the way he uttered that single word sent shocks up and down her spine, not good.

"W-w-what do you even w-want me to do?!" a sense of dread was filling her, whatever Ryou's plans for her were, she had a feeling they weren't in her favor.

His grin was feral as he leaned down and whispered in her ear:" You will see soon enough, milady."

She was in trouble now and she didn't know how to get herself out of this situation.

 **Cliffhanger on the side! :D Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone! I'm sorry it took so long to update, didn't really have inspiration up until now. Please leave me some reviews so I get my inspiration back up! ^^**


	13. Lyca's Punishment

**Hey everyone! Here's another chapter for you! WARNING: Contains funny scenes, Ryou teasing Lyca, Ryou's funny, a bit sadistic side, some unwanted memories and a whole lot more!**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS: Eramis8: haha Well, not necessarily, though I decided to put more comedic nature in Lyca's character since till now she was more on the serious side.**

 **KaleDGhoul: Thanks so much! I really hope you will also like this chapter o' mine! Haha Well, the romance, or rather the more obvious one, will come a bit later but it WILL come! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Lyca's Punishment**

"No," Lyca said firmly, a scarlet blush on her face.

"You lost." Ryou's smirk was filled with amusement.

"No," she shook her head stubbornly, turning her back to him.

"Alright then," Ryou sighed and moved close to her, before she could utter a single word, he quickly restricted her arms and buckled that _thing_ around her neck!

"Are you freaking kidding me Ryou?! Like hell am I going out like this!" she yelled furiously, attempting in vain to unlatch the thing from her but Ryou sent her a intense glare.

"We agreed when you would lose-"

"You _anticipated_ it?!"

"-that you would have to do anything I tell you to and I tell you to wear this and go out with me to the market and in the city." One day his devilish smirks would cost him his life, he knew, but he couldn't help it, she looked adorable.

"B-b-b-but R-Ryou! T-this…uh…t-the people w-w-will get a c-completely wrong idea!" Lyca tried to reason her way out of this, but Ryou stayed with his decision.

He had organized her a fucking _collar_. Along with _wolf e_ ars, which were made from very soft artificial dark brown fur. Oh and did she mention the bushy tail?

"Oh really? Why would they get the wrong idea hm?" he leaned in, scanning her appearance from head to toe.

If you looked at her face, she was a cherry, but the rest of her was part wolf, part human. Wolf ears, a wolf tail and a collar with the inscription:" _Ryou's"_

Damn it all to hell!

"R-R-Ryou w-why did it have to be _that_ inscription?! Why not something else?!" her face looked about ready to erupt from all that redness, Ryou was enjoying it far too much to tease her.

"So, the whole world knows that the Mad Dog _owns_ the Ferocious Wolf. A reward for me and a walk of shame for you, milady." He smirked widely, he sensed today was going to be a great day.

"I look ridiculous!" she complained fiercely, not at all liking how she was even dressed!

The dress she wore was a dark brown and white color, the shorter dark brown part ended in a twirl at the edges, pinned near the waist by a equally dark brown bow, the longer white dress ended as well in ruffles and twirls, reaching a bit over her knees. ( **A/N:** **.** **here's the dress, sorry my description is crappy.)**

"You don't. Now let's go." He smirked, offering her his arm as he carried a picnic basket with the other. She blinked in surprise.

"A picnic?" she blinked again in disbelief, didn't he want to embarrass her?

"In case we get hungry," Ryou tried making it appear so as if he decided to bring the basket with him last minute, in fact he had planned for them to have a small picnic, just the two of them. No Alice, no annoying Yukihira, Aldini, Nikumi…etc.

Lyca had tried to escape a few times the nearer they were getting to the marketplace, which is why Ryou had a secure grip on her waist to prevent her from escaping again. He noted her nervousness with a small smirk. Lyca already felt the bewildered stares from all the people around them.

After walking for a bit through the marketplace, Ryou wasn't so sure anymore for exactly _whom_ that punishment had been for.

He had to glare every five seconds at gaping idiots who kept shamelessly staring at Lyca, he could practically see hearts in their eyes with drool running from their gaping mouths.

"Hey, wait…isn't that Alice Nakiri's aide and the girl who beat Takumi Aldini and earned third place! She almost beat Erina Nakiri's aide too by a hairs breath! But…what is she _wearing_?!"

"Is that a _collar_?!"

" _Ryou's_?! What does that even mean?! Nooo! Does this mean she's out of my reach?!" A guy around Lyca and Ryou's age cried out, a whole other group of guys standing behind him, all of them looking crestfallen.

"My dear, sweet Lyca! I can't believe that dog defiled her!"

"Is he marking her like that?"

"Sure looks like that to me! I knew that something was up with that Kurokiba guy…buying her a collar…you think they use that behind closed doors too?" Lyca's blush only grew deeper at the whisper/shouts all around them.

"S-shut up! Kurokiba doesn't have anything going with her! It's him and Alice Nakiri!" another guy shouted, raising his fists in anger.

"Ohhh, so you think it's a three way road?" the oblivious one asked rather loudly, Ryou had to suppress the urge to laugh and go there and smack the guy upside the head.

"No, no, no, no, no. Kurokiba's way too territorial to share Ishikawa with anyone! I don't think it's like that. Though….she looks hot in that dress…"

"You think if I ask nicely she would ditch Kurokiba and go out with me?" a tall guy with short brown hair asked, his gaze trained on the couple looking at all the different fish.

"Tch, yeah right! In your dreams Cole! If you're on a suicide mission then go there and ask for yourself!" one of his friends pushed Cole forward and he sent them a glare, before straightening up and actually walked coolly toward them.

He tapped Lyca's shoulder, the girl turned around to regard him with expectant eyes and a light blush as his gaze roved over her figure.

"Hi there, the name's Cole. You're Lyca Ishikawa right? The girl who beat Aldini in the Autumn Elections?" he flashed a grin, his hands in his pockets as his green eyes were solely concentrated on her.

"Uh, hi. Yeah, I am." She didn't really know what to say, feeling rather uncomfortable. Ryou was still looking at the fish, his back turned to them.

"Well, I wanted to ask ya if ya have some time now? I saw that cool new place that opened up and I wouldn't mind going out with you if you wear that collar, but titled " _Cole's"_ would sound nicer huh?" the boy grinned cockily, extending a hand to try and play with her hair before suddenly a strong hand shot at lightning speed to nearly crush his own.

He cried out in shock and pain, looking directly into the burning red eyes of none other than Kurokiba the Mad Dog himself. Despite not wearing his bandana, his eyes were like the pits of hell themselves, burning like a raging fire.

"Sorry, we have plans." Was Ryou's curt reply, his bruising grip let go of Cole's hand.

"Oi! I didn't ask you," Cole snapped back angrily, gingerly cradling his most definitely broken hand near his chest.

Lyca placed a hand on Ryou's broad shoulder, blushing in embarrassment, "Um, excuse me Cole but Ryou and I are on a walk and I-"

"Oh come on sweetheart, I bet I can give you a better time than this rabid dog. I know how to treat a lady right after all." Despite the pain in his hand, his grin remained cocky and arrogant.

Ryou suddenly moved in between them, towering over Cole threateningly, his eyes burning holes through his skull as his smile turned dangerous, "If you call this rabid, then you didn't see me angry yet, punk."

Cole's knees suddenly started to shake in fear, which made Ryou's smirk only wider as he reveled in the shorter man's fear of him.

"R-right! A-a-apologies for d-disturbing you! W-w-we will leave right away!" his group of friends quickly ran over to them, grabbing their shell shocked friend's shoulders and fleeing from the Mad Dog's wrath.

Lyca sighed in relief, her hands on her hips, "Ne, Ryou, you know you didn't have to chew the poor guy out like that. He was just a fan, I'm sure he didn't mean any harm." Her smile as gentle as she said this but her eyes were reprimanding, fierce.

"Tch, he got on my nerves." Ryou turned to her, his smile softening considerably, " Besides, can't have some fan boy ruin our fun huh?" he grinned, pointing at her collar and draping his arm loosely around her shoulders.

Lyca's face exploded with color, "R-ryouuu," the lethal Mad Dog grinned, ignoring the whining as he greeted the salesmen and fishers he knew from his visits to the market.

"Ryou! So nice to see you here with Lyca no less- say child…is that a dress?" the elder woman blinked a couple of times, staring at Lyca's attire. She had known them both ever since they were little, she never believed she would see the girl wear a dress…ever.

It seemed like times have changed, drastically.

"T-that's very nice Lyca! Oh and what's that collar?" the man beside the saleswoman narrowed his eyes to try and read the inscription, but Lyca, out of mortification, quickly covered it and waved it off.

"O-oh, that? It's nothing really, just a little something Ryou bought to tease me!" the girl felt sweat running down her forehead rapidly, she would die of mortification if anyone who knew her saw her in…this…or saw the collar.

Who knew what that group of guys thought before? She shook her head furiously, nope, she definitely wouldn't think of that right now.

After half an hour of conversing with the stall owners and looking at their wares, they headed to the park to eat.

Ryou laid the blanket out on the soft grass as Lyca settled on it and took the contents out of the basket. Lyca rose her eyebrow.

"Uh…Ryou?" Lyca asked, eyebrow raised with a confused expression on her face.

"Hm?" his back was turned to her, adjusting the blanket so he could settle on it as well, before turning around to look at her.

"Why did you pack so much ice cream?" Lyca deadpanned, dumping all the contents of the basket on the blanket, at least thirty kinds of ice cream cones falling from it.

What suspiciously looked like a tick mark appeared on Ryou's forehead, he grit his teeth, "Yukihira…" his tone was threatening and Lyca could almost picture him imagining how to beat up Souma in very creative ways and make him suffer.

She burst out laughing, rolling around on the blanket as tears sprung from her eyes, Ryou looked ready to explode and storm back to Polar Star and beat up Souma, but after seeing Lyca laughing happily he shook his head and joined in on her laughter.

Once their laughter subsided, they decided to eat all the ice cream that the idiot stuffed in the basket. Just as they were halfway through though, a group of three tall men dressed in black, wearing black sunglasses approached them suddenly.

Ryou lazily turned around to regard them, Lyca looked up at them from her spot on the blanket. Huh? Alice's guards? What were they doing here? It was true Alice as well as Erina were kept under constant watch, but there was no real need to add security to their aides as well.

"What are you doing here? Alice isn't here." Ryou drawled, his look showing disinterest.

The one standing closest to Ryou adjusted his glasses and said in a hushed whisper:" Apologies for disturbing you Ryou, Lyca, but we have urgent news. You need to come with us." That alerted Lyca to stand beside Ryou.

"Has something happened to Lady Alice?" she asked worriedly, looking at each of them. The man that spoke earlier, Kaito, shook his head.

"No, lady Alice isn't in danger, rather it's you and Ryou." Ryou stiffened, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What do you mean?"

"Lady Alice immediately sent us to watch over you, she said she saw a suspicious figure following you." Ryou growled lowly, his eyes darting at all sides to try and spot the culprit that apparently followed them, but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Just how could he miss that?! How could he miss someone following them?! He never let his guard down! His fists tightened in anger, the guards of course noticed it.

"I suggest we depart immediately and head back to Tootsuki." The two chefs didn't protest, Ryou packed their things and they were ready to go, already seated in the limousine.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Lyca voiced her concerns, rubbing her arm in unease.

Ryou looked at her but remained silent.

 _"_ _How could this happen? I was with her the whole time! How didn't I notice anyone following us? How could I get so easily distracted!?"_ , Ryou's thoughts kept plaguing him, before his gaze suddenly drifted to what Lyca was wearing, " _I'm such an idiot, forcing her to wear something she's uncomfortable with and where every damn fucker would stare at her…including me."_

Ryou's eyes landed on her face, only to find her staring directly at him, with a red hot blush on her face and wide eyes.

Ryou froze, " _Shit!_ ", "What?!" he snapped, feeling embarrassment creeping up on him.

"Why the hell are you staring at me like that?!"

"Like what?!"

"L-l-like..l-like….well I don't know! It's creepy! Knock it off!" Lyca crossed her arms, stubbornly turning her head away and looking out of the dark tinted window.

Ryou grit his teeth, crossing his arms as well and looking out the window. He sent a menacing glare when he noticed that one of the body guards looked at them through the rear-view mirror, he immediately averted his gaze, noticeably sweating when confronted with Ryou's fearsome temper.

The whole ride was silent and once they arrived Lyca exited the car without another word or glance back at them, shutting the door closed and heading straight for the Polar Star dorm.

Ryou sighed, a grim look on his face. He deliberately looked straight at the rear-view mirror, "I want you to keep a close eye on her when I'm not around. Whoever followed us may have a grudge." He grunted roughly, before he exited the car and also headed toward the dorm.

Alice, Erina and Souma were already waiting for them at the doors, Lyca passed Souma and talked briefly with Alice and Erina, before the girls headed inside.

Ryou stopped in front of Souma, "Any idea who it might be?" Souma's hands were in his pockets, his gaze cool and calm.

"No, but you should see this," Souma took out a folded piece of cloth and opened it, holding it out for Ryou to see.

Blood red eyes widened to the size of saucers, he fought hard to stop his body from shaking like it wanted to, fought to gain control of the sudden overpowering anger that was making his blood boil.

It was a picture, ripped at the edges, indicating it was older than a few years. It had a dark brownish smudge near the edge, Ryou assumed that was dried blood, he only assumed because of the nature of the picture.

"Where did you get this?" Ryou directed his piercing gaze at Souma's golden one.

"We got it delivered. The address is unknown, Alice wouldn't have sent the guards after you if it wasn't serious." Souma briefly glanced at the picture, grimaced, and looked back at Ryou, "What does this mean Kurokiba? Who are those people? Why did Alice tell me not to show this to Lyca?" Souma's golden eyes were steely, focused.

"Those people were Lyca's parents," Ryou looked directly at Souma as he said this, his voice trembling slightly in anger, his fists shaking at his sides.

"Why….who did this? Why?"

"I don't know, neither does Lyca. When we met all those years back, her father had told her to run from the men dressed in black, nothing else. He told her to never fall into their hands or it could end bad. Back then I hadn't known the full story, with time, I assumed it were the same men that…" he bit his lip hard, turning his head to avoid showing Souma his angered expression.

"Why didn't she ever tell that to the police?! They could have helped!" Souma's voice was rising in volume, his patience thinning the longer the conversation drew on.

"You don't understand Yukihira. Those men that did this, the men in black…." Ryou finally turned to Souma fully, staring him dead in the eye as he said those words with such hatred and fury that Souma would have trembled in fear if not for being used to it,

"…were Azami's henchmen."

The picture dropped from Souma's slackened grip, falling to the ground between them, the photo turned up.

It were Lyca's parents, shot dead by six men dressed in black standing behind them, the pool of blood reflecting the full moon and one small ribbon, presumably belonging to a child, right in the middle of the blood bath.

 **How did you guys like it? I may edit it later but I think it's good as it is now! Speculations for the next chapter are welcome! :D I'll explain the thing with Azami in the next chapters, don't worry! If there are any confusions/complains/opinions to be offered don't hesitate to!**


	14. Memories & Those Red Eyes

Yoo, I'm back! :D Told ya I would write chapters quicker hihi. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter too! I'm **_always_** very happy about feedback, may it be positive or negative, if it's negative though I just ask that it's helpful and constructive, otherwise I can't improve my mistakes!

Enjoy!

 **Chapter 12: Memories & Those Red Eyes**

* * *

"W-what….what do you…" Soma's eyes were wide, his hands were shaking. He could feel the anger before it even registered fully in his mind, "What are you talking about Kurokiba?!"

Ryou grit his teeth, his own fists shaking in barely contained anger, "Lyca doesn't know this, it was only thanks to Alice's research that we found out the identity of their murderers. That time, Azami had fallen, deep. He had reverted to the sadistic bastard he is now, according to Alice, he hasn't always been like that….there was even a time where he was a good man, if you believe her words." Ryou looked at the door.

"Yukihira…" Souma breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down. If he went inside now looking ready to murder someone Lyca would find out and be crestfallen, he couldn't have that.

"What?" Souma's tone was angry, snappy, but not at Ryou, rather at Azami himself. He knew the man was manipulative, sadistic and whatnot, but to go to such great lengths just to secure his position on top…how many times did he do this? Has he even done this before?

"Lyca can't know this. She will only be out for revenge, there's no telling how she would react if she ever sees Azami in person. She has a heart of gold…but she knows how to bare her fangs." Ryou was serious, Souma swallowed thickly, feelings of confusion and anger battling inside him.

"Doesn't she deserve to know Ryou? You've kept this from her all this time…you're the closest one to her! You're her best friend! You're telling me I shouldn't tell her who killed her parents?! Who will?! When will she find out? You can't just keep this from her, she will hate you forever if you do!" Souma grabbed Ryou by his shirt collar, pulling him closer, his golden eyes were serious and harsh, "Don't break her heart like this. She will be devastated, hurt her with the truth. Don't fucking make a mistake," he let him go roughly.

Ryou never saw the young man before him so serious as he was now, especially not so…vicious. Souma was always a cheery guy, there were few things that could drag him down and bring him in a bad mood, but it seemed things like this have shaken him and he wouldn't rest until Ryou did what Souma said.

"I…I want to protect her, Yukihira. I know I can't protect her from everything but…at least from this," Souma's fist clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palm.

"There's a difference between protecting people and hurting them by keeping the truth from them. Like you said, you can't protect her from everything, if you don't tell her soon, you won't even have anything left to protect anymore Kurokiba," with that, Souma went inside, leaving the Mad Dog alone.

Ryou stood motionless for a minute, before he slammed his fist down on the ground, his lips pulled into a snarl.

" _Damn it all to hell! Yukihira is right! I'll just lose her like this!"_ Ryou's expression calmed, a grim look settling on his wild features, " _I'm a damn coward…keeping these things from her, she's always been honest with me, she never lied to me…what have I done? I betrayed her, lied to her…what if she left?"_

A deep, hollow feeling settled itself inside Ryou, one he didn't often experience, as a child, he usually experienced it when he saw children his age being surrounded by parents. He had realized long ago that ever since Lyca had come into his life, the burden in his heart had been lifted considerably.

Instead of taking it away, she was shouldering it with him, helping him through every step of the way, being there for him when he suffered losses, when he had to leave Denmark and he took her with him so she didn't feel lonely ever again…

He remembered that day as if it was just yesterday…

* * *

 ** _Port town in Denmark_**

 _Ryou was packing his bag, he didn't really have much to begin with, some food, a couple of shirts, pants and kitchen utensils all stored in a simple, slightly rugged duffle bag. The bag had certainly seen better days._

 _"_ _Ryou!" a high feminine voice, the voice of a girl, called him, he was about to turn around and open the door but suddenly a energetic ball of force slammed the door open, knocking into him and making him fall to the wooden planks with a pained yelp._

 _"_ _Oi…that hurt…" Ryou complained, rubbing his aching head, his messy, short dark hair falling slightly into his eyes who were locked on the young girl currently on top of him._

 _"_ _Ryou! I just made a new recipe, come and taste it-" she froze, spotting his duffel bag, "What…" she looked down at him, her eyes looked hurt, her bottom lip was trembling._

 _She suddenly launched herself at him again, her thin arms going around his neck to hug him close to her, the poor, startled boy froze, not knowing how to react. What the hell?_

 _"_ _R-Ryou! Don't l-leave! Not you too! P-please! I promise I will listen to you from now on, I won't eat half of the fridge at night anymore, I won't play pranks on our staff members I promise! Please, don't-" he shut her up with a quick smack to the back of her head._

 _She yelped, tears at the corners of her eyes, unshed for now, her cheeks were red from anger and hurt, she was holding her aching head, he was finally free to breathe._

 _He sat cross legged in front of her, glaring at her, "Oi! Shut up for a sec will ya? How am I supposed to explain to you that I ain't leaving you?" the girl's eyes widened_

 _"_ _W-what?" this time Ryou grinned, it was uncharacteristic to see the boy show any other emotion aside from anger, frustration ,murderous intent and cockiness. But not to Lyca, ever since the past few years where they cooked here together, he had opened up to her, slowly but surely._

 _"_ _Yeah, what did you think? That I_ _would leave you alone here? You wouldn't even know how to command my men without me here!"_ _he chuckled before she threw a pillow at his chuckling face. Ryou growled and threw the pillow back at her playfully, before they engaged in a small, brief pillow fight._

 _After their giggling ceased, Lyca asked curiously:" Ryou…where are we going exactly?" she blinked curiously at her childhood friend._

 _"_ _Uh…well…you remember Alice right?" his face burned bright red from the embarrassing memory of being defeated countless of times by the girl._

 _"_ _Mhm! She was really nice and kind." Lyca smiled sweetly, ignoring the dark aura Ryou was emitting._

 _"_ _Yeah…nice and kind…" he cleared his throat, "Anyway, since she beat me, I have to be her aide. That means I'm going to Japan. She said it was no problem if I brought you with me," he smirked at her._

 _Her eyes widened in amazement, she had never abandoned Denmark but then again, she had had big gaps in her memory, she didn't remember much when she was younger. She remembered bits and pieces of her parents when they were alive, she remembered her father telling her to run away from the men dressed in black, she remembered loud noises before she ran away and that was that. And her time here with Ryou. She launched herself again at the poor boy, he whined in protest and playfully tried to pry her away, Lyca all the while laughing and crying in joy._

 _She would see the world and beat any and every chef that dared to question her cooking skills! And the best thing, she would see it with her only friend, Ryou._

 _End of Flashback_

* * *

Ryou shook his head, willing the memory to go away. Now was not the time to swim in memories, now was the time to tell Lyca the truth.

He braced himself, sucking in a deep breath. He wasn't the same as before, _she_ wasn't the same as before.

Ryou opened the door, but what he saw froze the blood in his veins.

Everyone from the dorm stood shell shocked in the center, Alice looked extremely worried and angry, Erina looked frozen stiff and Lyca was just…frozen. A look of horror was firmly planted onto her face, before her stood Souma with a grim expression on his face.

Ryou suspected the worst. The red haired bastard had told her. He had _told_ her and didn't listen to him, damn it!

Wait…

 _The picture!_

That bastard chef had taken it with him! He…he showed her…he showed her the picture… he will _murder_ him!

"Yukihira!" Ryou's voice was filled with killing intent, though before he could advance on the red haired chef, Lyca suddenly slapped him hard across the face, tears in her eyes but not yet shed.

"R-R-Ryou….y-you…you _knew_?" she regarded him with a devastated, hurt look, at his silence she grit her teeth, "I asked you a question! Did you know who killed my parents?!"

Ryou couldn't bring himself to look at her, instead his gaze was firmly fixed upon the ground, "Yes…" he muttered quietly, shame filling him.

"L-Lyca…I-I-I…I-I'm so…so sorry…" Erina suddenly said, tears running down her cheeks.

Lyca didn't turn to face her, she stayed quiet, standing before Ryou, "You knew Ryou….for how long?" he was a bit impressed at her self-restraint, he had half expected her to beat him to a pulp.

He swallowed thickly, his throat constricting uncomfortably, "….It was a few years after we moved here…I requested Alice to do some research…" Alice held onto Erina, the two cousins were shaken though Alice seemed like the slightly calmer of the two, nevertheless, the sight of her dear friend looking so hurt and broken tore at her heart.

Lyca was speechless for a moment, shaking her head slowly, she blinked back tears furiously and slapped Ryou's hand away harshly when he attempted to wipe them away, "Don't you _dare_ touch me!" she barked at him, her voice thick with emotions.

Megumi clutched Souma's shirt sleeve worriedly, he gave her a pointed look, they would comfort Lyca when she had calmed down, right now, it was something between her and Ryou. Souma felt a pang of guilt for telling it to her, but he had seen no other way, it wasn't his style to lie to a friend, especially not someone as good hearted as Lyca.

Ryou grit his teeth, a shadow covering his eyes, "Lyca, I-"

"Shut up! Just…s-shut up! I…I never want to see you again! I hate you Ryou! I fucking hate you!" there was such blatant fury in her words, as venomous as a snake.

Nobody tried to stop her when she ran upstairs toward her room.

Old woman Fumio retreated to her own room after making sure a fight or anything worse wouldn't break out, the kids needed their space, she would prepare something for them in the evening once the situation calmed down. Lyca had grown on her, she would never let the girl suffer but she knew her peers would break through to her more easily than an old woman such as her. Especially that Kurokiba kid, it seemed as if they shared a especially close connection.

Alice was the first to break the silence after long minutes of just standing there, "I'll go and check on her," she nodded to Erina, who nodded back.

Before she could take another step however, Ryou grabbed her shoulder and gently stopped her, wordlessly he walked past her and ascended the stairs.

Ryoko quietly whispered to Shun, "Shouldn't we do something? I'm not sure if Lyca would want to see him right now, after what just happened." She looked worriedly at the upper floor.

"They are childhood friends, the wounds are too tender to prod them but if Kurokiba thinks it's necessary…we will leave them for now," he whispered back, he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Then he looked at Souma and the feeling grew stronger.

"Yukihira…" Erina's low voice penetrated the tension-filled air, Souma directed his attention to her furious fuchsia eyes.

Every step he took felt like heavy weights were wearing his legs down, making each step that much harder to make.

What could he say? There was so much to say and yet there wasn't. He knew the damage was permanent, he didn't know if she would forgive him for his foolish actions this time.

* * *

Lyca wasn't known to ever hold grudges but this was different, unlike anything they – she – had been confronted with before.

This time, it wasn't someone that had insulted her cooking, this time it wasn't someone telling her she would never make it to the top.

No.

This time, it was about her past, about the past she couldn't remember well and about her parents, the parents she could remember bits and pieces of, smiling faces here and there, joyful moments, until the most vivid memory disrupted her thoughts – the day they died, no…they day they were _murdered_.

Because her father had wanted to believe there was more to cooking than money and fame, because her father had followed similar beliefs as the famous chef Joichiro Saiba. And because of that, he along with his mother had been killed. For their different views on cooking.

Many people were threatened when Ryou spoke of the kitchen as a battle field, the cooks were the warriors and the judges were like Julius Cesar, a thumb up and the victorious fighter would live, the thumb was down, and he was killed.

Ryou moved in the kitchen like that too, a fearless warrior prepared to face any and all opponents head on, with a fire burning so bright in his eyes that would topple mountains and make the mightiest of fighters fall to their knees before his gaze alone.

Ryou's eyes…

Those red eyes…

The first time she had met him, she was intrigued by his eyes. She had been just a child back then and never before had she seen a person with red eyes, so it were his eyes where she gazed upon the most. She remembered how it had annoyed him, telling her to stop staring because it was rude, but he had been rude all the time so it hadn't bothered her in the slightest.

After getting to know him more, those red eyes that used to intrigue and even at times frighten her, became a source of comfort to her. He would protect her from thugs who came in their pub, acting rash and callous, he would be the first to almost break a grown man's hand when he dared to make a move on her. Those red eyes had accompanied her in her dreams, whenever she had nightmares and those red eyes would appear they would stop.

It was strange, she had never talked to Ryou about it, she thought it silly. It was just a eye color, a rare one but a eye color nonetheless.

She banished the thoughts as she continued to violently punch her punching bag she hung up in her room at the dorm, she had one back at the mansion too. Similar to Ryou, she liked keeping fit, since she almost ate as much as a certain red headed chef.

" _I can't believe he…that…that bastard!"_ she shut her eyes tightly, willing the onslaught of tears not to fall, continuing to punch straight ahead at the punching bag, " _What kind of friend would do that?! I thought…I thought we were best friends! H-how could be betray me like this?! He knew who killed them, Alice and him both! I thought I could trust them! They were the only family I had after mom and dad died!"_ her punches grew more vicious, her kicks gained more height and strength.

Her eyes burned fiercely with anger, " _Why? Why me? Ryou was…he was the only one I could trust blindly, he saved me from the streets back then! I had been searching for food for days and he was the only one who actually cooked something for me and even told me to stay! He was my first real friend and…."_ She shook her head, growing angrier when she felt the hot, salty droplets sliding down her cheeks and dripping from her chin.

She paused and quickly wiped them away, but it was no use, there were only more.

She blinked them back, continuing to punch with all her might, her muscles were burning but she didn't care, the pain she felt in her chest was fair greater.

She didn't hear the door open, didn't hear him at first, when she regained her bearings fully and registered that _he_ entered her room she saw red.

"Get the hell out of my room you bastard!" she swung a punch at him, strong, bandaged hands flying at his face.

But he was faster.

He stopped her punch with his palm, "Lyca, listen to-" she lashed out with her other hand and he blocked that as well, she struggled violently against his grip.

He didn't want to hurt her but she was giving him no choice.

He growled and slammed her against the wall, she only grew more furious at the action. Ryou held both of her hands tightly in one hand behind her back while he pressed his arm against her neck, lightly not enough to block her airways or to hurt.

She snarled at him," You fucking traitor! I told you to leave me the hell alone! Why are you here?! I don't want to see you! I _hate_ you!" the tears were back, she didn't want them back, didn't want him to see her like this.

The words stung deep but Ryou tried not to show it…he failed, "Lyca, just listen to me!" he willed her to look at him but she refused, turning her head away.

He glared and grabbed her chin firmly but gently, turning her against her will to look up at him, "Take your fucking hand away or I'll bite it off," Lyca threatened, her eyes a tornado of fire, her tongue as sharp as a blade.

He knew she would never hurt him, just like he would never hurt her, but in this state she was angry, dangerous, unpredictable. He trusted her to do anything.

He lost focus for a second and felt her leg come up, he quickly trapped it between his legs firmly, preventing her from delivering a blow that would have been most painful to _him_.

"What? Did you grow so angry as to deliver a hit below the belt now?", he was taunting her he knew, but he couldn't resist. Sometimes he thought he was a sadistic, greedy bastard but he had to get through to her somehow.

If soft spoken words didn't work, he would become the fearsome Mad Dog he was only in the kitchen.

She only thrashed against him but he had her caged, she couldn't move except squirm in his grasp. She was panting from the effort but the fire in her eyes never faltered.

"Don't you understand?! I told you to go! Leave me alone! I _never_ want to see you again!" her snarl was deep and filled with venom, but he knew her better.

He grabbed her chin again and forced her to make eye contact with him, he moved closer to her face, "Stop flappin' your gums. You don't want me to leave, I know you better. You _need_ me here just as I need you, we always worked like that. Don't go sprouting shit that you hate me," she head butted him, but he ignored the sharp pain shooting through his skull, instead he pushed his forehead against hers, now trapping her _completely_ against the wall.

"Let me go Ryou," she growled at him, her face trapped by his, he was too close, far too close.

"Has anyone ever told you, you have anger problems?" Lyca's eyes narrowed at the insulting question.

"Fuck off Ryou! I don't need your stupid jokes right now! Leave me alone!" she spat, thrashing against him again.

His red eyes narrowed, "No," he said firmly, flatly, "I would not only be a moron but also a failure as a friend if I left you now,"

"I told you to leave,"

"Too bad I ain't listening to you," he countered, his eyes boring into hers.

"Why can't you just leave me alone when I tell you to?! I don't want to see you, I really don't! Just…just get the hell away from me!" she struggled against him again, but he pressed her harder against the wall.

"Will you let me explain? You will only hurt yourself!" he tried to reason with her, something he rarely did.

Her eyes moved up to look right into his," You would never hurt me," she was sure, she would never seriously hurt him either.

Before she could try to analyze the brief surprise that flickered through his eyes at how true her words rang, he released her and backed away, a grim look on his face.

She tried to calm her racing heart, only now even registered how wildly it beat.

He watched her carefully and quickly grabbed her wrists when she attempted to literally punch him out of her room, he held them against his chest as she struggled and shouted for him to leave.

"W-why….why can't you just leave…." Her struggling ceased, her voice a broken whisper as opposed to her strong, aggressive one a moment ago.

The fight finally left her and she let Ryou lean her against him, her hands and cheek resting on his chest, feeling his slightly quickened heartbeat.

"I won't leave…I don't care if you beat me up, I won't just leave when you're crying, you know I hate to see you cry," she felt one of his hands gently, soothingly run through her hair and she closed her eyes.

"I felt bad at how you always looked at other kids with parents, when we came here, I begged Alice to do some research. It took her months, but she finally found out who did it. We never said anything to anyone about it, especially not to lady Erina, she was too naïve and Azami was controlling her every move." He paused, letting her fully take in his words, he rubbed her back, trying to ease the tension.

He dropped his chin to rest on top of her head, "I wanted to kill the bastard myself when I found out…but if I did anything, it would mean they would send us back, I didn't want anything to happen to you. Even Alice had been powerless then." Ryou was acutely aware of how her fingers were clutching his shirt tightly and how her body shook.

"W-why Ryou…." He tensed, "why….why did….why were they killed….for what? T-they were good people….they…" she bit her lip hard, the tears falling freely now.

Ryou felt such anger, burning hatred for Azami, it only grew when he felt the tremors wracking Lyca's body as he held her closer.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face against his chest, sobbing hard.

Ryou slowly lowered them to the floor, sitting with his legs spread to hug Lyca tightly in between them, trying in a vain attempt to shield her from all the evil in this world. If only he had tried that before…

"I-I-I-I…..I-I'm so….s-s-sorry R-Ryou…" her lips trembled but she stubbornly bit them, she hugged him tighter, trying to find words.

Ryou's expression softened, hugging her closer, "I know," he grit his teeth at the feeling of shame and guilt building in him, he was the one to apologize not her.

She had all the rights in the world to hate him, she drew back from him, her gaze directed at the floor, hurt.

"Ryou….I…I don't know if I can…" her eyes met his, "I don't want to see you here…at least for a little while." Her voice was soft but firm, her eyes red and puffy and reflecting the crushing hurt she felt.

Ryou felt like the worst jackass in the world, he had made her cry, shattered her heart, withheld important information about the one who killed her parents and now…

He nodded, not trusting his voice. He felt a searing burn in his chest, his heart tightened uncomfortably.

She was still sitting between his spread legs and he suddenly felt a bit like forcing her to hug him where she wanted to avoid him at all costs, he felt like he needed to say at least something.

"I'm sorry," his voice wasn't soft, but not that gruff either, it was hard for him, since he apologized to someone maybe a handful of times in his entire life, "I did it to protect you, but Yukihira was right. I should have told you from the start." She avoided looking at him, biting her lips and looking at anything but him.

His eyes zeroed in on her handkerchief, the one he had gifted her all those years ago when they were little, she was fingering it nervously.

"You…" it seemed like she caught on to what he tried to say.

"No!" she immediately snapped at him, her eyes burning again, "It doesn't matter if I don't want to see you now Ryou! Of course I won't take it off!" she looked insulted just because he had feared she would.

While her handkerchief may be a piece of fabric to outsiders, to them, it was a promise, a promise to remain together and improve their cooking skills to capacity. A sign of their bond. To take it off or discard it…it would mean it was all over.

"Alright…" he watched carefully as she got up, she winced when her bandage on her right hand became loose, revealing how red the skin was there.

Ryou was immediately on his feet, gingerly inspecting her hand, Lyca tried to draw back, "Ryou-"

"I heard this helps to soothe the ache," he held her hand in his and lifted it to his lips, lightly kissing the aching redness over the expanse of her knuckles.

"….Milady," Lyca stood frozen, her heart beating furiously when she felt Ryou lingering on her hand before he released her and moved for the door.

It was hard. Harder than anything she had to decide, but the wounds were too wide open to repair them yet, she needed time, she needed him to understand.

He had called her milady.

* * *

"S-stop b-being so close to me Y-Yukihira!" a certain Nakiri half whispered, half shouted at her partner in crime.

Souma though, ignored her, trying to get a better look through the hole in the door lock.

"Shhh, stop being so loud Nakiri, they will notice us," before Erina could furiously retort, both teenagers froze.

There was a loud thump, and Souma quickly looked into the hole again, only to find….to find…

"Move aside! Let me see!" Erina fought her way up, pushing against Souma as she closed one eye and squinted to look.

Her entire face turned red and she almost cried out in shock and embarrassment before Souma hastily slapped his hand over her mouth. His action did _nothing_ to reduce her blush, her face looked like a ripe tomato.

"Oi, oi, what did you see that made you react like that?" Souma moved Erina aside, his hand still covering her mouth before his eyes widened at what he was seeing.

"K-K-K-K-" Erina quickly _slammed_ her hand firmly over his mouth, preventing him from speaking. Souma's wide golden eyes looked at her for confirmation, she nodded, his hand still over her mouth.

Erina's face only turned redder when a not-so-decent illusion appeared before her mind's eye

 _Erina's Illusion_

 _"_ _Nyaa…R-Ryou, s-stop….not here…everyone else is downstairs…" Lyca grit her teeth as she felt Ryou run his fingers down her neck and collarbone, his hot tongue following the path his finger took._

 _"_ _Why so shy Lyca? I thought you liked it when I did this," he bit down softly on her neck and she grit her teeth tightly together to not make a sound, her blush covering her entire face._

 _"_ _R-Ryou, a-at least on the bed, w-w-why against the wall, it's too hard," she ran a hand through his wild mane, eliciting a deep growl from him._

 _"_ _Are you sure you're talking about the wall?" his grin was feral and dangerous as he brought her swollen lips down to his in another kiss, muffling her moan as his hand was easing the buttons of her shirt and-_

"-iri,"

"-kiri,"

"Nakiri!"

"NAKIRI!" Souma half shouted in her ear, moving slightly away from the door, though he doubted even if he did raise his voice the shouting duo inside wouldn't hear them.

Erina's eyes widened, her face extremely red, snapping out of her fantasy.

"Y-Y-Yukihira!" she noticed his hands were on her shoulders, she squealed, "W-w-what do you t-t-think you're doing?!" she backed away from him, trying to calm down her racing heart.

The young cook blinked rapidly, not understanding the situation. One moment she was spacing out, not hearing him calling her several times and now she was moving away from him as if he bit her? He would never understand Nakiris…

"You suddenly spaced out, what was that all about anyway? You didn't hear me calling you?" he rose an eyebrow, his gaze confused.

"N-n-none of your business!" she quickly looked back at the door, "T-this is disastrous! I cannot believe I was forced into such criminal actions!" she crossed her arms, her face a light pink now.

"Eh? Criminal actions? Weren't you the one who came up here and I told you not to?" he scratched his head, his eyes round and confused.

Erina was tempted to throw something at his head, "S-s-shut up Yukihira!"

 _"_ _What? Did you grow so angry as to deliver a hit below the belt now?"_ Souma and Erina froze, their heads turned to look at the door.

Souma launched himself at the startled, obviously mortified God's Tongue as he, again, clamped his hand firmly over her mouth, her scream thankfully muffled by his hand.

He whispered close to her ear:" Nakiri, be quiet. If they hear us we are dead," he observed her furious eyes and her burning face, "Besides….I think Kurokiba is in trouble…" sweat was trickling down Souma's forehead on his blank gaze and Erina nodded furiously.

* * *

"K-Kurokiba!" it was Megumi who spotted the man first, the rest followed while Erina and Souma stayed a bit at the back to hide the guilty expressions.

"What happened? You were up there for so long, is she alright?" Ryoko asked worriedly,

"Yeah! Is she crying?" Yuki asked, her eyes shining with worry.

Ryou's bangs covered his eyes, "She…doesn't want to see me," silence.

Nobody dared to say another word, Ryoko and Yuki shared a concerned look. Shun was standing next to Ryoko, silent but his lips were drawn in a thin line, showing his obvious discomfort and concern for the situation at hand.

"What happened in there? We heard loud thuds," Erina tried hard not to let her face erupt like a volcano, Souma only gave her a quizzical look.

"She tried to punch me out of her room," everyone in the vicinity almost fell to the floor at that revelation, Ryoko and Shun shook their heads.

"Oh…so that was it, "Souma rubbed his chin in realization while steam was coming out of Erina's ears when she thought of her earlier… _assumption_. Alice had a sad frown on her face, biting her lip softly.

"I assume she meant me as well?" Alice asked tentatively, rubbing her arm.

"She hasn't said anything about you milady," Ryou averted her questioning eyes, feeling shame well up inside him and spreading in his whole body like poison.

"For how long does she want to avoid you?" surprisingly it was Shun Ibusaki who asked this, his ever present bangs covering his eyes as his arms were crossed over his chest.

Ryo narrowed his eyes at the floor, he walked toward the doors to outside, "Ask her that," he turned the knob but before he exited he turned around to look at Souma and everyone else, "Take good care of her,"

The dejected young man left the dorm, the silence remained inside. The atmosphere was tense, almost electrically charged as the members of the dorm, and Alice, looked at each-other, trying to figure out what to do.

The only thing that echoed through the silent dorm were the cries of a wolf with a broken heart.

BTW: Sorry for the slow updates, my birthday is today and I didn't really have much time to finally release this . Sorry again everyone!

Pleeassee tell me what you think, **reviews** are always appreciated! Thanks for reading!


	15. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

Um...yeah...sorry everyone! I know you thought it was another chapter ( don't you worry folks! I plan on updating today! :D)

Since this is pretty important to me, I ask for all of your attention, first off I'd like to announce something which adresses EVERY ONE of my awesome followers and readers in general!

(clears throat) Uh...I'm not too good with speeches...be warned!

 **Now** , I'm not sure if everyone knows this, let's just pretend they don't :P, I sometimes get the vibes that some readers feel, not exactly inferior, but let's just say less important than the writer of the story or feel like the writer is more important than them. I just want to say, and I think I'm writing in the name of all writers, that without YOU AWESOME PEOPLE, YES YOU readers (users, guests/strong…etc.) writers and stories basically wouldn't even exist. I've never seen a writer write 10+ chapters without any support from readers, may it be favs, reviews or follows. Genuine reviews are what keep the writer – and essentially the story – alive and motivated to continue writing. I confess….I'm a damn review addict, follows and favs are always appreciated with a smile, but I love reviews more ^_^

I want to **sincerely** **thank** each and every one of my followers and readers who spend their time reading my story! I didn't even think I would write over 3 chapters with this but you guys made me feel like I'm a half decent amateur writer so thank you everyone! (bows) I hope I'm meeting expectations and make my readers smile and happy! ^^

 **Hugs and kisses from your Redfox girl**! :DD **BTW** : Thanks to everyone who bothered reading this long ass declaration of my appreciation. ^_^" THANK YOU FOR THE SWEET BIRTHDAY WISHES ON MY SWEET 18! :D

(clears throat again with a embarrassed blush) Ahem...right... **another** thing!

 **A SPECIAL request!**

 **PLEASE** , please my dear readers, do you guys mind lending a helping hand to my really good friend **chrizh** here on fanfiction? He's just a beginner in writing fanfiction and he just published his first story heavily based on _"My Little Sister Can't be this Cute"_ ( _Oreimo_ on Japanese) I would be forever grateful to you guys if you are willing to read it and give him some helpful feedback!

I promise I'll make a **voting poll** on whatever you wish to happen in the next following chapters between Ryou and Lyca! I'll write a couple of suggestions for them and you can write your own ideas in the review sections or just PM me your ideas and I'll write them down! Then you have a whole week to vote and the suggestion/idea with the most votes will be written! If there are and ideas with second/third greatest votes these will be written too! **HOWEVER** , these ideas will be again "fillers" and won't in any way affect the main storyline, unless enough readers would like that, that's a different story then ;)

Well, thanks everyone for bothering to read this and I'm sorry if it isn't ( **yet** ) the new chapter! Though that shouldn't wait for too long! :)

 **Love, Redfox! :3**


	16. Pride is lost, Memories are not

**Hey there everyone!** How is everybody? I hope you're all doing fine J I know the last chapter was slightly dark and gloomy, but since I want this story to have (more or less) a more realistic tint to it, it will take a while before Lyca and Ryou will reconcile after their big fight, adding to it that it's not exactly such a small deal…yeah. But don't worry! According to my own ideas (hihi) it shouldn't be over 2-3 chapters :D Maybe not even 2 ;)

 **Ugh…sorry everyone, I had uploading issues yesterday but I finally managed to publish it today! Here it iss! :D**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **michaelthao24 :** haha You're sweet! Thanks for the birthday wishes sincerely! :D

 **Eternal Nexus Warrior:** Thank you lots! :3

 **Whatnameshallitake:** Btw, love your name, creative and honest ;) Thanks for the nice birthday wishes! Hehe Thank you ^^, I wasn't sure how you guys would react to the plot twist, but I did my best to create some tension.

 **Eramis8:** You're right about that and both feel guilty over the entire situation.

 **KaleDGhoul:** Damn…I always blush and smile when I read "awesome chapter as always" on some reviews…hehe can't believe I get to read that haha Thanks for the compliment though! Hahaha Well, if I would have to make them come true than this story would be "M" rated and I doubt I'm too much of a good smut writer (sweatdrop)

 **Guest:** Thanks for the review! Time skip? Hmm….well, I've gambled with the idea, but I would like to show their struggle because that will make their reunion all the more sweeter! :3

 **Guest #2:** O.O = that was my expression only a minute ago…gee man thanks! Thank you so much! Who knew my story could create such feelings! I only dreamed of writing such good stories that can make my readers happy! Haha Thanks for reading and enjoying it, I'll try to write it as good as I can! Promise! ;)

Phew….now that the important business is over, let's get to the story dear readers!

 **Chapter 15: Pride is lost, Memories are not**

Ryoko, Yuki, Souma, Shun, Megumi, Erina, Alice and Ikumi were all in Souma's room, sitting on the floor trying to figure out the best course of action to take for their…very delicate situation.

"We can't just let this slide!" Ikumi grit her teeth in anger, Yuki's eyes were glistening with unshed tears as Ryoko tried to console her friend, the tension in the room could be cut with a knife, it was increasingly difficult to just sit still let alone think rationally.

"I-I can't believe this…they are such good friends…best friends! They were together all this time…it just…it _can't_ be that something like this can tear them apart! It can't!" Yuki cried on Ryoko's shoulder while the older girl consoled her by patting her back.

Erina and Alice turned their heads away from Yuki's crying form, feelings of shame and sadness overwhelming them.

" _What have I done? Ryou and Lyca didn't deserve this at all! Especially not Lyca! I told Ryo not to tell her the truth even when we got older…I was so afraid she would leave because of uncle Azami…I thought she would go back to Denmark and run the pub and leave Ryou and I here. Or maybe Ryou would follow her and I would be alone again…I would be forbidden to see Erina…I would be alone again…"_ Alice shut her eyes tight, " _It's all because of me! I was so selfish I wasn't able to even have enough dignity to tell my closest friend the truth!"_ Alice shivered, her eyes tightly shut as the memories of their childhood flooded her mind.

And suddenly, Souma spoke up, "You don't have to feel guilty, this was none of your fault," he addressed the two Nakiri cousins, his golden gaze determined and serious, "Alice, you only found out who the culprits were, you didn't tell her because back then you were all just kids and scared of that. I'm sure Lyca understands even if she's not her best right now. You don't need to feel guilty at all," he looked directly at Erina then, "Erina, you of all people shouldn't feel ashamed. You and your father are two very different people, you can't be held responsible for what he did in the past, especially at a time where you were just a innocent child. You didn't do anything wrong to Lyca, ever, she knows that, she isn't blaming you at all,"

The two Nakiri's looked at Souma surprised, Alice was the first to recover though, she smiled warmly at him, a gesture which even stunned her cousin, "I appreciate the sentiment Souma, but I'm partly to blame as well, even more so than Ryou. I was the one to tell him not to tell her, even as we got older. I saw how much she enjoyed being here, living with us and gaining new friends who accept her and don't care about her past…" she paused, biting her lips, fisting her pants and looking down on her lap with a frown.

"I just didn't want to ruin it…ruin the happiness she finally gained…her childhood was deprived of her, as was Ryou's. They grew up in very cruel circumstances, commanding an entire pub where the staff were all adult men, at times rough and cruel fishermen who were the opposite of thankful customers, living in poor conditions…" Alice didn't seem to want to continue and she didn't need to, they all had a pretty good idea how rough it must have been.

Souma grit his teeth, clenching his fists tightly, Megumi tried to say something, "Souma-"

"Excuse me," his unusually polite tone caught all of them off guard, except Shun. He sensed Souma had wanted to do something and he had a hunch what.

The red haired teen stood up from his spot between Ryoko and Megumi and headed for the door.

"H-hey! Yukihira! Just where are you going now?!" Ikumi asked, standing up as well and growling in his direction in frustration and confusion.

He turned his head enough to look at her from the corner of his eyes, " I'm going in the wolf's den," before he opened and closed the door behind himself, leaving all his friends inside stunned to silence.

Souma stood just outside his room, his bangs covering his eyes as a frown played over his lips. He took a calming breath and slowly made his way to room 306, Lyca's room.

He had never felt so nervous and terrified before in his life, he felt shame, a large amount of it, but for some reason, he actually _did_ feel like he was entering a wolf's den.

Not because he thought Lyca would actually hurt him but because he may not survive seeing her broken, hurt expression. It had been him who told her the truth after all, he wasn't even sure anymore if it was the right decision. It would have felt right if it had been Kurokiba or Alice.

Souma closed his eyes and took another, deep calming breath before he gathered his courage and knocked lightly on her door. He waited with baited breath, his hands beginning to sweat from the anticipation, his golden eyes were focused but his heart beat erratically at what may await him at the other side of that door.

"Who is it?" a quiet, barely audible voice called from the other side, he had never heard Lyca's voice be so small and shy before. Strong, fierce, at times cold and threatening, heated and embarrassed, but never like this.

"It's me, Souma," he waited again, swallowing hard, "Lyca…may I come in?" he felt like it wasn't his place to ask, like it wasn't his place to comfort her, but he had to do _something_. He couldn't just let his friend wallow in her own misery while they were sitting ducks in the other room.

"Come in…" her response was equally quiet as the first, nevertheless, Souma slowly turned the knob and opened the door.

His golden eyes widened in shock, he couldn't believe the state of her normally clean room.

Bandages were thrown carelessly on the floor, her punching bag looked worse for wear and her bed was all messy, probably from her restless tossing and turning.

Lyca herself was sitting on the floor, leaning against her bed, her head resting on her knees. He had never seen her this…sad before, so broken. She was usually, or at least in many aspects, similar to Ryou, confident, fearless, competitive, always willing to give it her all and collected. But this…

His guilt wrapped tightly around his heart, like chains with deadly spikes on them who were slowly trying to choke the life out of him. She was reduced to this…because of his mindless action. Maybe if Ryou had told her personally, maybe the outcome would have been different.

Souma slowly walked to where she was sitting, she didn't budge, not even as he sat close to her on the floor. He observed her for a long moment, trying to decide whether or not to speak or to let her speak her mind. He was torn, half torn to apologize and try to console her and half torn to let her speak first.

Cautiously, as if nearing a wounded animal, Souma carefully wrapped one arm around her hunched shoulders, his fear was skyrocketing, not fear of her but fear of offending or angering her in some way. He took a steady breath and slowly drew closer.

Then she lifted her head finally to look up at him.

His eyes softened into smothering pools of gold as he gazed at her puffy red eyes, tear stained face and helpless expression. It made him hate himself even more for his reckless actions, he wished she would have beaten him up instead of trying to punch Ryou.

"Souma…" she whispered, her voice hoarse, as if she had been screaming and crying for hours and wasn't sure how to use it anymore, Souma quickly stood up and offered her a glass of water.

Lyca nodded her head in thanks and drank the water slowly, after draining the cup, Souma placed it back on the desk and resumed his position next to her.

"Do you….do you think I…made a mistake?" her voice was clearer now, but it was still slightly hoarse. Souma was quiet for a while, his gaze carefully analyzing her expression and mood,

" _I_ made a mistake," at Lyca's wide eyes, Souma smiled a bittersweet smile and clarified, "It wasn't my place of telling you the truth, Lyca. Kurokiba or Nakiri should have done it but not me, they know you the longest after all…also you shouldn't have tried beating up Kurokiba, it should have been me," He glanced at his hands with furrowed eyebrows

Lyca turned her gaze away, staring blankly at her bent knees, "You're my friend just as much as anyone else here, Souma. In fact, you…you were a better friend than Ryou was…you told me the truth after finding it out minutes earlier…but Ryou…he kept it to himself all these years…even after I was older…he-"

Souma seized her shoulders, grabbing them firmly but gently and turning her stunned form to face his serious expression," Don't say that Lyca! Kurokiba was just doing his best in keeping you safe! It doesn't matter that he didn't always succeed, you can't always win a Shokugeki right? Just like Kurokiba couldn't always protect you. Don't blame him for it, he did what he thought was best."

The young girl trembled, before tears streamed down her cheeks. Souma's expression softened and he gently wiped her tears away, before hugging her to his chest tightly.

"But what if…what if it wasn't the best? What if it all got worse because of it? Souma, Azami is basically just around the corner, he's Tootsuki's new headmaster, what if…I don't know how I'll react when I see him…" she looked into his golden eyes, "I hate him for everything he did in the past but I also hate him because he tortured Erina like that when she was just a child. Just what sort of father would do such things to his own daughter!? At such a young age as well? He…he-!" she grit her teeth, trembling in anger.

"It's alright…" he knew it wasn't, he knew it was a lie…but he didn't know what else to say as he soothingly stroked her trembling back," Blame me, but don't blame Kurokiba on this. You may think it was wrong of him to hide it from you all this time but…the truth was Alice and him did want to tell you…but when they saw how happy you were here with friends and family loving you, they couldn't bring themselves to tell you."

He paused, "They were afraid of stealing away your happiness Lyca," Souma sighed and stroked her hair when she buried her face deeper into his shirt, soaking the garment in the process, but he didn't care.

His gaze hardened, "About Azami…we will do anything we can to protect Erina as well as make sure he doesn't touch you, I'm sure Kurokiba is more than ready to punch his lights out,"

"S-Souma…thank you…" she muttered quietly, "I…I don't think I'll be able to look at Ryou, at least for a little while…please, try to understand," she hugged him tighter, blushing slightly as she did.

"Don't worry I do, just rest, you've had a rough day," he smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head affectionately, before placing her exhausted form on the bed and tucking her in, kissing her forehead sweetly before he quietly left her room.

Lyca watched him walk toward the door, before he could close it again on his way out she timidly called out," S-Souma…"

The red haired teen paused and turned his head, catching her gaze, "Yeah?"

"Thank you," she smiled, a light blush coloring her cheeks, Souma smiled warmly and nodded, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Lyca took a deep breath after she heard the footsteps walk away from her door, she turned on her side and hugged the pillow to her face, breathing deeply, trying to calm down.

The memories suddenly resurfacing in her mind didn't help the case at all, it made everything worse.

She remembered the first time she saw Ryou smile, a genuine one, possessing all the innocence a child his age should, she remembered the first time she met Alice in Denmark, remembered the first time Ryou and her first saw Japan and the Nakiri Mansion, how they were accepted with open arms by Leonora and Natsu Nakiri, the time they spent there together, all the fun they had...

The tears were back, the loss in her heart felt larger, she felt like she lost her family all over again.

Lyca cried herself to sleep that night, holding her bandanna in her hand tightly, the memory of how Ryou first gave it to her as a gift, as well as the first time she saw the fearsome boy with the red eyes smile happily.

* * *

 _Morning class with Shinomiya_

Takumi and Isami Aldini were one of the first students to enter the kitchen, dressed in their usual uniforms. They quickly spotted Lyca, who was conversing with one of the girls from their group.

"Lyca!" both brothers called out and the Ferocious Wolf turned briefly to look at them, she smiled a small smile and excused herself from the girl, who had hearts in her eyes as she watched her idol walk away dreamily.

"Hey guys, what's up?" she asked with a friendly smile, regarding them with a soft, somewhat tired expression. Takumi picked up on it immediately.

"Huh?", he scanned her from head to toe, looked at her this way and that, finally he stood in front of her and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Hmm…something is definitely wrong with you..why in the world aren't you proclaiming yourself the academy's greatest chef and attempt to stomp my glory?!" Lyca shared a dumbstruck look with Isami before she sighed heavily.

Takumi wouldn't be Takumi if he wasn't the explosive, short tempered, competitive guy he was.

"Oi, I ain't really in the mood to be locking horns with you Takumi, how about later hm?" she attempted to quench his competitive streak with a gentle smile but it seemed like the blond had other plans.

"AHA! _Now_ I know something is definitely wrong! You usually attempt to bite my hand off with your remarks! What's gotten you so mellow hmm? Could it be that the wolf can be tamed?" he grinned though it was playful, Lyca seemed slightly peeved.

" _Look_ , Takumi, I don't know why the hell you use those strange metaphors as if I were an animal! And I'm _not_ mellow, you don't want to get me angry so soon in the day, now if you will excuse me. Isami, " she nodded her head at Isami with a softer smile though the bite stayed when she regarded Takumi shortly.

Isami sighed, shaking his head, he placed one hand on his brother's shoulder, "Brother…you really need to think before you say anything…Lyca is obviously in a bad mood, why not try to be supportive and-"

"LYCA! Where do you think _you're_ going huh?! You're my rival! Come back here! I wasn't done talking damn it!" Takumi took off at break neck speed, Isami just slumped his shoulders and sighed heavily.

Takumi, in his reckless attempt to chase after the annoyed girl, failed to realize the foot that was right in his way as he hit it hard and flew to the floor, completely caught off guard and unprepared.

Isami almost jumped in the air at his brother's enraged, high shriek before a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead when he saw just _who_ managed to abruptly stop his brother.

It was Ryou Kurokiba, the Mad Dog himself.

"What the-! Why the hell did you just trip me you jerk?! What do you think you're doing?! You aren't my rival so you have no business with-" he was interrupted, _again_.

Ryou lazily opened his red eyes, regarding Takumi with a bored, impassive look, "I don't care what you do in your free time Aldini, but don't go pestering girls when they are in a bad mood, it can lead to black eyes," while Ryou seemed as passive as always on the outside, Takumi suddenly felt a chilling sensation run over his spine.

Oh but he wasn't about to back down either," Tch, just because you think you can speak for her because you're her best friend, doesn't mean my rival and I can't-"

Interrupted.

 _Again!_

"Takumi," surprisingly enough, it was Lyca's voice that called out to him. Ryou stiffened, his posture just a tiny bit straighter, his jaw set more tightly than before, "You ok?" she was smiling down at him as she extended her hand to help him up.

The blonde Italian chef blushed brightly in embarrassment, reluctantly letting her help him to his feet again.

"Yes, thank you," he avoided meeting her gaze, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to…yeah…" thankfully, Lyca understood.

"It's alright, I get it, now my rival, what did you want to say earlier?" she grinned, giving him that look that suggested she was up for a fiery Shokugeki between them.

Takumi immediately brightened up, going for the bait and animatedly expressing his desire to finally beat her to see who was the better chef.

Not even once did Lyca glance at Ryou's still form, but his eyes kept track of her movements every time she moved, not letting her out of his sight.

" _What have I done?"_ he thought with a bitter, gloomy atmosphere surrounding him, the students who were slowly starting to fill the kitchen now, making a large detour around him to avoid awakening his seething wrath.

Shinomiya entered the classroom and curtly announced today's dish, a relatively normal vegetable terrine again, though this time he allowed them to try and make the dish have a unique trait of its creator, something which would enable the taster to know what cook made it.

Like Megumi's calm, soothing tone each of her dishes carried out, making fond memories appear in their mind's eyes, reminding them of home and their childhood.

Or Ryou, how his food always overwhelmed the judge's and made their nerves explode with flavor, making electricity shooting up and down their spines.

And then there was Souma, who-

Wait…

Shinomiya ran a hand down his face, "Class….has anyone seen Yukihira?" the whole class looked around and started to shiver in fear when they noticed the dark mood their teacher suddenly got, "Or Tadokoro?"

"Oh! Class already started huh? Well, sorry to be late Shinomiya! Traffic was bad I tell you, bad!" Souma entered as casually as ever, the ever timid Megumi following him as she bowed before Shinomiya over two hundred times in one setting and apologized over and over, until suddenly _Inui_ showed up out of god knows what hole in the ceiling and started reassuring the poor girl.

Well…now that he had taken care of the trash, a.k.a tied Inui up and taped her mouth shut in the far corner of the classroom so she wouldn't disturb his lesson, he turned his attention to everyone, "Well? What are you slacking off for? I already said start did I not?" his glasses flashed dangerously as everyone nearly ran in a panic looking for the best ingredients.

"Oh and before I forget…I want a _four_ vegetable terrine…and I want all four vegetables to be compatible with one another and under no circumstances shall they overpower each other. However, every vegetable's own flavor must be enhanced as far as possible and concentrated to the point of Excellency. Am I understood?" he grinned, instilling fear in all of the students except Souma, Ryou, Lyca and the Aldini brothers.

As the students started with their preparations, Souma noticed the frequent looks Takumi shot to Ryou, thinking he already found out about the situation, he leaned close to him when Shinomiya wasn't looking, "Oi, Takumi, don't give the guy a hard time, he's just as worried about Lyca as everyone else."

When the blonde gave him a confused look, Souma froze, wait…," Y-you don't know…about…"

Takumi's eyes widened as he reflected over their behaviors until now.

He opened one eye and looked at Lyca, working like always but avoiding Ryou like the plague. And then it _really_ clicked. Ryou must have…he must have-!

He must have insulted Lyca in some way! Or betrayed her trust! That must be it! That's why they avoided looking each-other in the eye!

"He did _what_?!" Takumi suddenly stormed up to the tall male and grabbed Ryou's collar, "How **dare** you-" he grit his teeth in anger, Ryou narrowed his eyes.

"Is there a problem Mr. Aldini?" Shinomiya asked, his annoyance seemingly augmented by the way the light reflected off his glasses as he righted them on his nose again.

Takumi froze briefly, before roughly letting go of Ryou, "No, not at all," he returned to his spot next to Isami, all the while keeping an eye on Lyca and sending Ryou seething glares.

"Brother…please don't make a scene, I don't think Lyca will appreciate it much…" the older Aldini snorted, oblivious to the looks the students around them gave him.

"Tch…I don't care, how **dare** he hurt Lyca like that?! Why didn't Yukihira beat him up already? That idiot! I will personally have a word with him once we pay the dorm a visit and-"

"Takumi! Stop shouting so the whole school can hear you will ya?" Souma arrived with nervous Megumi in tow, pretending to be asking for salt.

"You insolent chef! Why the hell didn't you beat Kurokiba's nose bloody?! Did you see Lyca?! She didn't even _look_ at him and when they accidentally bumped she just muttered a "sorry" and ignored him! What the hell did that bastard do?!" Takumi whisper-shouted to his rival, clenching his fist tightly in anger.

Golden eyes flashed dangerously," You mean…you made that scene in the kitchen…without knowing what he did wrong?"

"Judging by Lyca's demeanor he did a great deal wrong if she was that winded over it!" he seethed, his hands balled into fists.

"TAKUMI!" Souma growled and comically shouted and kicked Takumi, who did the same as the two boys play fought, Megumi twiddled with her fingers nervously.

"U-umm…Isami…?" the younger Aldini twin looked down at the nervous girl with a gentle smile.

"Takumi didn't do anything…drastic did he?" Megumi had been attacked with hugs by Inui so she wasn't able to see what had happened.

"Well….not exactly," Isami scratched the back of his neck, watching the comic exchange between his brother and his friend.

Until Shinomiya suddenly loomed over them with a frying pan, a menacing look in his eye as he tried to pry the two bickering boys away from each-other, getting tangled up in the process.

Ryou spotted the bickering trio, instead of approaching them, he turned away and left the classroom, his trademark bandanna wrapped around his wrist.

As he turned to round a corner, the signature bandanna of Lyca could be seen wrapped around his other wrist and his whole mood just turned far darker than it had been in the morning.

 **EDITED!** Sorry for the wait! Hope you enjoyed it everyone! :D Reviews are very appreciated as always!


	17. The Gentle Wolf

Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait . I had a little writer's block with the show but now I'm back on track! :D Sort of...

 **QUESTION:** Do you guys think I should stop writing this story? I'm not sure if it's good anymore, I want to continue writing but I'm not too keen on writing a dying story . Thanks for your answers and support in advance dear readers!

 **BTW:** Would someone like me to include _more_ Shokugeki's in future chapters? With detailed preparations and recipes (like in _Shokugeki no Souma_ )? Thanks for your answers! Oh and I'll use **Japanese honorifics in this chapter, please tell me if you prefer it that way for me to write in future chapters!**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Chococatx33 : **You're welcome! Ah thank you so much for the birthday wishes and review! :) haha Sure thing, I was thinking of letting her ignore Ryou a bit longer, since I don't want to rush things and make it a bit more realistic. ;) Thanks for reading and reviewing my story, I'm glad you like Lyca's character! Have a nice day Chococatx33! :)

 ** _Disclaimer_** _: Like I said before, Shokugeki no Souma (the anime, manga and all connected works) are_ _ **NOT**_ _owned by me! I only own my OC's and the plot!_

 **Chapter 16: The Gentle Wolf**

Shinomiya arched a brow in bewilderment, "Kurokiba...I think I clearly said I want a three layered vegetable terrine dish...does this look like a terrine to you?" Shinomiya pointedly looked at the rather large rice ball in front of him on the plate, surrounded by a greenish liquid, Shinomiya assumed was olive oil.

The youth crossed his arms," Why don't you take a bite?" Shinomiya lifted his head, scanning Ryou from head to toe. Something wasn't quite right. His headband wasn't on, he was looking quite gloomy.

He looked back down at the rice ball, his nose hadn't been assaulted by an explosion of different tastes like he was used to by this particular chef, nonetheless he hoped his suspicions were wrong.

They weren't.

While the dish tasted good enough to pass, quite well actually, it didn't have the same level of explosiveness and "aggression" like Kurokiba's dishes usually had. It lacked the 'bite'. That vicious overwhelming feeling of his taste buds exploding from all sides, his senses being enveloped by spices, different kinds of aromas of the different kinds of food in the dish...

"Pass," Shinomiya uttered almost emotionlessly, Ryou nodded without another word but before he could actually exit the room, Shinomiya stopped him, "Kurokiba,"

He turned his head around enough to regard his teacher with one red eye, waiting politely.

"Is there something you want to say? Are you perhaps working on a different cooking method?"

Ryou frowned, "No,"

"I see," Shinomiya rested his chin on a propped hand, "The dish was good enough to pass. However," Shinomiya looked at him directly with sharp, golden eyes, "It _lacked_ ,"

Ryou's fists clenched in frustration, "What did it _lack_ , Shinomiya-senpai?" Ryou turned around fully, intent on knowing what his cooking supposedly lacked.

Shinomiya stood up, "I'm sure you've noticed as well, the intensity, the taste lacked." His glasses caught the light of the overhead light bulbs, "I suggest you settle the problem before coming to my class again with such a bland taste,"

Red eyes narrowed in annoyance before their owner disappeared away from sight. Shinomiya frowned, crossing his arms and sighing.

"Well, you sure look happy today," Gin Dojima's voice sounded from behind the alumni with a taunting edge to his tone.

"Can we skip the ever wonderful greetings? I'm not too keen on them today, Inui made sure of that," Kojirou rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"So I've heard, actually, I meant to talk with you about that one...occurrence, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about," Dojima's look was calm but conflicted.

"Oh?" Kojirou turned around, raising one eyebrow in suspicion.

"Tell me about it," he crossed his arms, his gaze sharp and focused.

* * *

"Are you ready?" the silhouette of a man leaning against a door asked his colleague, hearing how the next Shokugeki his colleague would be competing in should start any minute.

"What sort of a stupid question is that? Of course!" Rentaro Kusunoki snapped angrily as he shoved one hand in his pocket and held the knife case in the other hand leisurely.

Etsuya Eizan frowned darkly, a serious look in his eye as he commented, "Don't get cocky, Kusunoki," Rentaro scoffed, irritated at the Ninth Seat's attitude.

"Don't you have some gang business to attend to? Don't get me riled up even before my Shokugeki started," the Heatmaster spat at the calculating man, who leaned against the door surprisingly calmly. Calm was never his style, so Rentaro was slightly on edge at his calm demeanor.

Etsuya smirked, gesturing at the closed door, "Your Shokugeki will start soon," before Rentaro could exit, his fellow Central companion whispered lowly, " Just remember what's on the line,"

Rentaro's temper flared dangerously, bubbling like sizzling oil at the surface, right beneath his skin his blood was boiling at the underlined threat. Mustering all his restraint, he refrained from verbally or physically attacking the infamous _Alquimista_.

If there was one person he knew not to mess with, besides Azami, it was Eizan. The guy had connections that caused the Heatmaster himself shivers to run down his spine.

" _Hm, doesn't matter. I shouldn't pay any attention to him anyway, he's as socially awkward as happy-go-lucky Rindo is,"_ gold eyes narrowed, " _Time to show this runt who the stronger one of the pack really is,_ " he grinned, teeth showing as his eyes nearly twinkled in challenge.

He hoped the Shokugeki would at least be interesting. He hated to waste his time.

He heard the loud cheers from the audience, the speaker announcing his name and nickname, Rentaro frowned when he heard some disapproving 'boo's echoing among the cheers of the crowd.

" _Tch, I will show them to ridicule me. They haven't seen real fire yet,_ " he grinned almost sadistically, walking to the 'stage' as the light hit him.

He didn't bother sparing a glance at his opponent, instead he did a quick once over the large crowd that had gathered.

His blood was boiling, pumping loudly in his ears as he felt the rush of adrenaline course through him, tensing his muscles, setting his jaw, narrowing his eyes into liquid pools of orange as he grinned, already knowing the outcome of the Shokugeki.

When his eyes raked over the crowd, at first, he started to turn away to begin his Shokugeki, but then his eye caught something.

His eyes widened, the roaring of his blood calming slightly at the sight.

She...she actually...came?

It seemed like she had noticed he was looking straight at her, a redness spread over her cheeks from embarrassment, she waved happily and smiled almost timidly, so unlike the temperamental girl who had defended her friends so ferociously like her nickname in the kitchen suggested.

Rentaro blinked, before he quickly snapped out of his haze and nodded at her wave, too stunned to really show any other outward reaction.

" _She took it seriously? She's actually here? How did she know where to come? I didn't tell her anything about it. Did she find it out herself? But why? Why would she willingly come here? I'm her enemy, I'm from Central, I'm sure she hates me, so why is she here? And smiling and waving at me?"_ Rentaro stared a while longer, until he heard the timid speaker girl or whatever talk through the microphone.

"Uhm...excuse me, Kusunoki-senpai? We are waiting...the Shokugeki is about to start..." Rentaro shot the timid girl his most vicious glare, making her almost jump. Was that a new girl? He didn't care.

He turned back around to look at Lyca again, she was even dressed nicely for this! Well, not that she usually wasn't, but from what he could see, she had colors that complimented her hair.

He shook his head, giving her a confident grin before turning around to start the Shokugeki.

" _She's here..."_ he thought with a surprising calmness settling in him, as opposed to the strong fire he had felt earlier.

" _Why am I so calm...I didn't even start cooking..."_ he briefly caught Lyca's eye, " _Could it be...it's because of that girl?_ "

"I hope you're ready for this! I'm not going to let you take down my Patisserie RS!" the blonde haired guy announced, a determined look on his face.

Rentaro grimaced, he reminded him too much of that Yukihira guy with red hair, so confident...

"Tch, I'll make ya swallow your words, you freshman shit," the Heatmaster barked sharply, grinning from ear to ear wildly.

Lyca bit her lip in anticipation.

This was it.

Now she'll get to see if the rumors centering around the Central member were true.

Was he really as good as rumors depict him to be?

"L-Lyca-chan!?" a timid female voice called softly in surprise.

"M-Megumi-chan?" Lyca turned around with wide eyes, stunned to see the timid blue haired girl here.

"What are you doing here?" Megumi asked, looking at Lyca then at the Shokugeki match below them, which already started.

Her eyes widened at who she saw.

 **Cliffhanger after such a long time! ^^ I hope you all enjoyed it so far! I'll try to update faster, sorry for the long wait!**


	18. Christmas at Totsuki!

Hello everyone! Man, it's been a damn long time since I last updated! . I sincerely apologize for that, school's been bugging me, other stories had stolen my attention and time flew by (sweat drop) But I've come equipped with a few more writing styles and plot ideas and I plan on continuing and writing a new chapter as soon as possible! :) Hopefully you'll enjoy this Christmas Special too!

 **Merry, merry Christmas everyone! :D :) Yeah I know Im a bit late sorry about that, the holidays have kept me busy (sweat drop)**

 **BTW: Does anyone ship Shun Ibusaki & Ryoko Sakaki? I don't know why but whenever I see them together I could somewhat see the couple just may work, I randomly had the feeling since I noticed in the show they would often be shown together/close to another. Call me crazy ^^ XD**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Mezuba:** Hi there! Merry Christmas! Ah, the thing is, I'm currently writing 10-11 stories, I still have interest in this story and to finish it but I guess I just needed a little break ^^Thank you for the advice though, I know what you meant :)

 **Guest:** Thank you! Really, thanks for the encouragement! So honorifics' are a yes huh? Alright, I'll keep that in mind! :) Merry Christmas to you too if you're celebrating!

 **Thorngal:** *.* Thanks so much! Your review really egged me on to finally write something! ^^ Yeah, I've seen that pretty many fics (not all but many) are either Sorina based or Soma X Megumi...etc. I didn't really find that many with Ryou or the other side characters in them, I plan on focusing on the relationship (doesn't have to be romantic) of the other ones too. Like between Isami and Mito, Takumi and Megumi, Takumi and Soma, Ryou and Soma...etc.

 **Enjoy reading and merry Christmas everyone! :3**

* * *

 **Christmas at Totsuki!**

"Oi, oi, what do you think you're doing huh _teme_?" Shoji growled, holding the star over his head, out of his rival's reach.

The black haired male narrowed his eyes in a threatening challenge, "Ah? Are you saying _you_ will put the star on the tree? No freaking way! _Baka yarou_!" he lunged at the other male, grabbing desperately for the gold star that was just shy of his reach. Shoji tried to knock him off and throw him off balance, but the cook didn't let himself get deterred from his goal.

Marui tried interfering, in vain, "Um, please guys, don't fight now, it's Christmas after-"

"Hey Marui-kun! Help me get the star back!" Daigo shouted, grabbing onto the frail boy's arm.

Marui's eyes widened in surprise, "W-wait, what?" his head whirled between his two friends, who frequently made a battlefield out of his room.

"Yeah! Help me defend it from that jerk!" Shoji shouted out, stubbornly tugging on Marui's other arm. Both boys growled, tugging on either arm and playing tug of war with the poor Marui.

"H-h-help! H-help, please nooo!" tears streamed down the boy's face, under his glasses.

" _Ahem!_ " a female voice sounded firm and froze the three boys in the middle of their fight, the resident two rivals of the dorm nervously looked up toward the person who made the sound and a shiver ran down their spine. Zenji just looked relieved beyond belief.

"R-R-Ryoko-san!" Shoji and Daigo immediately released their hold on Marui, trying to look as innocent as possible while still trying to send each-other death glares.

"Mhm...what are you doing? I thought you finished with decorating, Erina-chan will be here any minute! Not to mention, we will be getting more guests," the red head sighed softly.

"Huh? More guests? Who?" Daigo asked, scratching his head in confusion.

Ibusaki strolled out of the kitchen, two steaming cups in his hands as he stood next to Ryoko and handed one to her, "Alice Nakiri and her aide," Ryoko smiled warmly, warming her hands on the warm cup of hot chocolate.

"Thank you Ibusaki-kun!" Ibusaki smiled at her and nodded beneath his bangs.

"Ah, by the way, I have prepared some rice juice for later when Fumio-san goes to sleep," Ryoko winked, a secretive, mischievous aura about her.

Daigo and Shoji grinned, knowing exactly what "rice juice" meant, Ibusaki shook his head, a small smile hidden by the rim of his cup.

Suddenly, a thought overcame him, " _This is...odd,"_ discreetly, he looked around the room, noting of the festive decorations, typical Christmas decorations you would put up for such a holiday... however, " _Fumio-san has been oddly quiet this entire afternoon and there have been no signs from Soma or Megumi yet...I wonder what they are planning,"_

"Hm? Everything alright Ibusaki-kun?" Ryoko looked at her friend, who seemed deep in thought for some reason, " _What is he thinking about? He has a tendency to analyze and think a bit too much but...what could have called it on now?"_ Ryoko rubbed her chin as she thought that.

"Yes, everything is alright," Ibusaki nodded, taking a sip from his drink.

Ryoko nodded, sipping her tea and smiling when Shoji, Daigo and Marui started bickering again.

* * *

"Ne, Tadokoro, do you think this is enough? Should we have bought more?" Soma asked curiously as he carried two large bags in his arms, strolling leisurely toward the Polar Star dorm, his entourage behind him.

"I think it's fine Soma-kun, I bet Ryoko-san and Yuki-san have cooked something as well," she smiled at the thought of food, her stomach had started growling since a few hours ago from the intense shopping they all did...

"Quiet down your stomach would ya?! I can hear it all the way from here!" Ryou barked, his tone snappy and annoyed, carrying the brunt of their expenses.

"Ryou-kun! Don't be so hostile! After all, we are the guests in their dorm, our manners should be top notch! Right, Erina-chan?" Alice Nakiri smiled at her cousin, who blushed at being addressed so casually by her cousin nonetheless.

"Y-yes, that's correct," she took a deep breath, hands clenching at the small basket in her hands.

Souma turned his head enough to look at the Nakiri cousins, a easy going grin on his face, "Hey Nakiri! Lighten up would ya? It's Christmas and not one of your tasting contests," he chuckled, whistling a tune he had probably made up in his head.

Hisako immediately stood to her lady's defense, "W-why Y-Yukihira how dare you be so disrespectful to Erina-sama-" Erina stopped her aide and friend with a simple hand motion, face flushed and unnerved.

"I-It's alright Hisako..." to keep up the image of her ice queen persona, even though she knew that had long since melted away, she turned her head, nose in the air in a clear sign of offence and an air of vanity.

Lyca sighed, shaking her head at the group, "Jeez guys, I think we should all stop being so high strung. It's been a tiresome day but at least we have everything we need for the party," she grinned, taking a quick peek inside the bag in order to smell the delicious ingredients inside-

"Oi, stop trying to snag our wares," Ryou slapped her hand away and bluntly told her off, looking straight ahead when the wolf turned to regard him with a evil eye.

"Hey! You stop trying to slap my fingers off! I'm hungry!" she stuck out her bottom lip in defeat and the Aldini brothers shared a raised eyebrow.

Isami petted her back comfortingly, "No worries Lyca-chan, we are almost there," he patted his own stomach, small barely audible growling noises escaping it's depths.

Takumi sighed, "Well...we could have at least stopped for a snack before going back..." he scratched the back of his head, feeling entirely silly, "And... _WHY_ did I have to be the _only_ one to dress up so ridiculously?!" he gestured wildly at the getup he had been forced into by Alice Nakiri and her formidable aide, who had threatened to cut off something very personal and precious to him with his very own mezzaluna if he hadn't dressed into this.

Lyca sighed, "Sorry buddy...it had either been Megumi, me or you and I definitely didn't want to go through that again," she sent Ryou a glare, who just smirked calmly.

Megumi shivered from the front row, turning around, tears and a haunted look in her eyes, Takumi held his hands up in surrender, "I-I'm sorry Megumi-chan!"

Lyca giggled, pulling her scarf tighter around her neck and looking up at the softly falling snow, "Cold?" Ryou suddenly asked her, she turned her head to look at him, her cheeks rosy from the cold.

" _Ie_ , it's fine," she lied through clenched teeth, Ryou sighed.

"Here," he handed her his gloves and black beanie, forcing her to put them on as she tried to put up a fight, her efforts were half hearted as her hands were nearly frozen numb, "Idiot, going out without proper clothes," he scoffed.

Lyca roared in comical outrage, pointing a semi-accusing finger at Ikumi, "H-hey! Nikumi ain't really dressed for winter is she? I have a long jacket and scarf mind you!" she stuck her tongue out at him.

"H-huh?!" Ikumi looked down at herself, wearing dark boots, simple dark jeans and a dark blue jacket, she rose an eyebrow in question.

Lyca, with tears in her eyes, frantically started apologizing to Ikumi, who looked stunned, "I'm sorry Nikumii-chaan! You usually dress in those shorts and that bikini that I completely missed what you wear except for that!" Ikumi blinked and scratched the back of her neck.

"Ah...it's alright Lyca...I guess," she wasn't sure if that was meant as a compliment or a show of concern but she took it in stride.

Lyca grinned innocently, Ryou shook his head at her antics.

Megumi briefly looked behind her to see if everything was alright since the commotion died down and froze, " _H-huh?! What...what..."_ her eyes zeroed in on what Lyca was wearing, gloves that were too big for her and a beanie that was a little big on her, _"Kyaa! Aren't those Ryou-kuns?! Why is Lyca-san wearing them? Did he give them to her?"_ the thought made her blush and her head spin, thousands of ideas running through her mind.

" _It's Christmas, the time of love and presents and family! And Ryou-kun just gave Lyca-san his own gloves and beanie to wear so she isn't cold! How cute! Could it be Lyca-san is hiding something from us?"_ she rubbed her chin in thought, but quickly shook her head, " _No! Lyca-san wouldn't hide something like that from us!"_

Soma followed Megumi's line of sight and grinned, " _Hoho, Kurokiba and Lyca?"_ he snickered before cupping one hand over his mouth and calling out, "Yo! Nakiri!"

Erina froze, "W-what is it Y-Yukihira-kun?" her fuchsia eyes locked on Soma's golden ones.

He grinned and waved her over, "Can I talk to ya for a sec?" Erina assured Hisako she would be fine without her and moved to the front, Soma slowed his pace slightly so she caught up easily.

"What is it?" she whispered her words when she noticed her ducked his head a bit and leaned closer to her, as if telling a secret.

"You up for some fun?" Erina rose an eyebrow, curious to what he meant by "fun", if they were talking about Soma, then "fun" could mean anything.

"...What kind of fun?" she wasn't sure if she liked his mischievous grin at her question, or the wicked gleam in his eyes but she decided to hear him out.

"Why not set up something nice for our lovebirds at the back huh?" he nodded his head discreetly to Ryou and Lyca, who talked about something that seemed to have captured their entire attention.

Erina smiled, giggling, "Hm...I usually don't participate in such childish antics but...why not? It's Christmas after all," she smirked and Soma grinned, clapping her on the back.

"There you go Nakiri!" he laughed like a maniac and Erina flushed to the roots of her hair, almost immediately, Alice was right beside her.

"Neee, what's this? Scheming things in secret with your boyfriend Erina-chan?" Alice smiled warmly, putting on her most innocent smile on display, "I want in on it too!" she raised her hand, worming her way between Soma and her cousin in order to listen to the plan.

Soma grinned and whispered the plan into her ear, by the time he came to the end there were stars in Alice's eyes.

"Hm, but using the poele method would have been easier to tenderize the meat ya know, adding onions before that would've created a more in depth flavor too," Lyca explained, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

Ryou made a gesture with his hand, "The poele method is usually used for ingredients with a thick skin, like salmon and other fish. You can also use it for meat, but the taste may come off as too strong if you additionally add that. Onions have enzymes that tenderize proteins, coating a layer of chopped onions on meat with a thick layer of fat would be wise but not necessary if you put it in the oven and cover it repeatedly with layers of leftover sauce from the meat and bouillon sauce as base." Lyca nodded, connecting the dots in her head and filing it away for later.

"Ne Ryou, have you noticed the three over there have been pretty secretive?" she glanced at the obviously up-to-something trio of the Nakiri cousins and Soma, poor Megumi looked scared out of her mind walking next to them.

"If it involves lady Alice, it could be dangerous," he shoved his hands in his pockets, sighing at the thought of Alice planning something again.

Lyca shivered, "For some reason, I have a bad feeling,"

Ryou nodded.

* * *

"We are back everyone!" Soma shouted out through the entire dorm, Isami and Takumi quickly closed the door so no cold air went in the warm room.

"Ahhhh, finally somewhere, where it's warm," Megumi, Erina, Alice, Lyca and Takumi exhaled loudly, practically ripping their jackets off to warm themselves faster.

"Ryou-kun! Hold this for me!" Alice dumped oversized bags on top of Ryou's messy hair, the boy skillfully caught them before they had the chance to fall.

"Yes my lady," he droned, feeling the slight strain on his arms increase.

Almost immediately, Ryoko, Yuki Ibusaki, Marui, Shoji and Daigo rushed to the front, out of the living area to greet their friends.

Yuki had tears running down her face as she bear hugged poor Megumi, "Megmu-chan! Where were you all?! We thought you all left us!" Yuki continued crying on Megumi, who looked awkward and apologetic.

Ryoko sighed, shaking her head, "Actually, Yuki was hungry and-"

"Psshhh! Sakaki- donooo that was a secret!" Yuki sniffed, wiping her face with the sleeve of her long pullover.

"HUH?!" all the dorm residents that had been inside screamed in surprise when they saw Takumi dressed as Santa Claus, the blonde had an embarrassed blush on his face.

"Aw, Takumi-kun shows real Christmas spirit!" Yuki hollered, ecstatic beyond belief to celebrate the holiday with her friends.

"Um...we brought you guys something?" Megumi smiled timidly, gesturing toward the many bags and containers they were all carrying.

"Huh? What's this?" Ryoko asked, eyes sweeping over the many bags.

"Wait...I smell cinnamon..." Daigo muttered, eagerly looking and sniffing around to try and determine from where it was coming from.

"Ah, ah, ah! Wait! Let's go inside the kitchen before you jump us and devour everything on your own!" Lyca sharply commanded everyone to enter the kitchen, "Uh...by the way...where is Isshiki-senpa-"

" _Hello Lyca-chan, missed me_?" a droning voice sounded from a tube Lyca _knew_ was somewhere above her, she screeched in surprise, nearly knocking Ryou over as she jumped.

"Ugh, I-Isshiki-senpai! Stop being creepy and come down here!" Lyca stomped her foot like a angry child, crossing her arms over her red pullover and trying to stop the shivers from coursing through her body.

" _Ah, but I have a special surprise for you in my room you see, why don't you come upstairs hmmm?_ " Isshiki's creepy voice rang through the whole dorm.

Ryoko rubbed her arms, "Poor Lyca...Isshiki-senpai really overdoes it sometimes..."

Yuki planted herself firmly on Ryoko, scared out of her mind, "Y-yeah, thank god he didn't target us for now!"

Megumi just shivered like a leaf in her seat, trying to drown out her superior's creepy voice as he continued speaking to a enraged and embarrassed Lyca.

"I _won't_ go in your room! Now shut up and come down here!" she growled, shaking her head.

" _Hmmm, but Lyca-chaaaaann, you have to see the surpriseee! Isn't it fun talking this way huh? Why don't you come up? It's a lot more fun..."_ Lyca fought down the urge to hug herself and feel scared shitless of Isshiki's over the top behavior.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" she never jumped so high in her life. None other than the 7th Seat of the Elite Ten stood right behind her, a tea pot in his hands as he blinked down at her in innocent confusion.

"Oh, Lyca-chan you're here?" he tilted his head, "I have a surprise for you!" he held the tea kettle toward Lyca's stunned form.

She exhaled loudly, the tension and fear leaving her as she took the kettle from her friend's hands and inspected it suspiciously, "Do you want to poison me on Christmas?" she rose an eyebrow at him.

He chuckled casually, "Of course not, dear, you've been stressed out ever since the incident with that Central guy so I thought some special tea would do you good," he smiled charmingly.

Lyca deadpanned, "Is it like Ryoko's "special rice juice"?" she shook her head, idiots, all of them.

Isshiki shook his head and beckoned her toward the kitchen, "Oh no, this is something I came up with. But make sure to drink it before you go to sleep, I heard its very relaxing," he smiled kindly at her and Lyca finally lost her suspicion.

"Gee...thanks Isshiki-kun," she smiled and patted his forearm, for once in his life, he was actually fully dressed, in simple dark pants and a fitting light blue sweater which complimented his eyes.

"You're welcome Lyca-chan," he grinned.

The two entered the kitchen to find the table full of still unpacked and unopened containers and bags, Lyca grinned, "Where's Fumio-san?"

"Right here ya troublemakers!" the age old dorm caretaker emerged from the back of the kitchen, carrying a try full of steaming cups.

Lyca smelled the scent of the liquid inside the cups and smiled, oh she knew very well what that was.

"Huh? What's this Fumio-san?" Yuki asked quizzically as she eyed her drink, it wasn't rice juice but something else.

"Cider," Ryoko and ibusaki answered her question at the same time, Ryoko continued with the explanation, "Cider is originally an alcoholic beverage from North America, made from fermented apple juice. Before you begin the process of a second fermentation you could additionally add sugar or any other fruits that mix well with apples, which also increases the alcoholic percentage," Ryoko smiled warmly, giddy to drink the beverage. Ibusaki chuckled.

"Ohh and what's this?" Yuki opened a bag and gasped in awe.

It was roasted pork! And it looked _delicious!_ But...different in a way.

Lyca smiled, supplying helpfully, "Ah, this is roasted pork, you could say it's the Danish version of it. Flaeskesteg is the so called Danish version of roast pork, it's typically eaten with red cabbage and if you will caramelized potatoes." She grinned, "I made it with Ryou!" she nudged the mentioned boy with her elbow, who stared blankly.

"Ohh! Caramelized potatoes?" Soma asked curiously and Takumi pointed an accusing finger at him, "What the hell Yukihira?! You were there with us!"

Erina shook her head at Soma's cluelessness.

Ryou's voice droned through the room, "Lyca diced the potatoes and let them heat in olive oil until they softened and soaked in the fat, she added chili powder and continued to fry them for over ten minutes at low temperature. She sautéed them until the potatoes got caramelized with the oil,"

Soma rubbed his chin thoughtfully and leaned back in his chair, "Yeah...now that you mention it, Lyca _did_ cook that, didn't she? Ahh, she also had a real good stuffing I remember! Cut it up guys!" the redhead grinned widely, child-like excitement shining in his eyes as he let his stomach lead him.

Fumio took it upon herself to cut the tender meat, the minute her knife applied pressure to its surface, rich juices gushed forth from beneath its bronze skin, her wise eyes shone knowingly, "I can tell we will have a real feast tonight!" as she cut the pork open, she was nearly blinded by what she saw inside.

The stuffing.

"F-Fumio-san?" Zenji asked, half afraid to interrupt the old lady in her trip to nirvana as she gazed upon the gold-like stuffing inside.

Soma chuckled and explained upon noticing half of his friends bewildered looks, "The stuffing Lyca made consists of finely chopped onions, mashed potatoes, bouillon broth, rice and-"

Ryou finished, "-a bit of curry, cayenne pepper, a bit of black pepper, coriander and thyme," everyone stared at him in bewilderment, "What?" he snapped, half growling at the surprised looks he received.

"Mhm, Ryou-kun improved his nose ever since he lost to-" Alice sang fondly while she petted his head.

"I never lost to that spice bastard! And stop petting me I'm not a dog!" he barked at her angrily which earned giggles and laughter from the whole group.

" _Itadakimasu_!" everyone said loudly in chorus before they started eating their share of the Danish roasted pork.

"Mhmm, this is awesome! Never knew Kurokiba could cook something this good!" Soma teased with a wink, grinning from ear to ear when his rival took the bait, his bandanna already tied around his head.

" _Konoyarou_ , I'll-" Lyca grabbed him by his wild mane and bandanna, jerking the piece of cloth off and holding it out of his reach.

"That's enough Ryou! No fighting today! It's Christmas!" she chided patronizingly, waving her index finger at him.

"Sorry, Lyca!" Soma grinned in embarrassment, scratching the back of his neck.

"Let's get to desert shall we?" Takumi revealed the last dish and the group collectively released gasps of surprise.

Yuki squealed like a little girl, "Oh my god! What _is_ this beauty!?" Megumi tried to calm her down as the girl looked like she would launch off her seat to get a better look at the goods presented to them.

Takumi proudly introduced his dishes, "Ah, this right here is the Italian torrone, a traditional Christmas confection. Originally Spain has created this dish but there are some twists to the Italian version of it, it contains a lower proportion of nuts and here I have flavored it additionally with vanilla and cinnamon. Normally, torrone's are dry and easily break but I made a _torrone di Cremona._ The main ingredients are honey, sugar, egg whites, almonds and other nuts. I've topped it with a white cream and formed it into a cake, the texture is creamy and not as brittle as its Spanish counterpart," he smirked.

Isami stepped up, "And I made this, a _panettone choccolato_ , it's originally from Milan and it's a type of sweet bread loaf it has a cupola shape which extends from a cylindrical base here, "he pointed to the confection as he said this.

Erina rubbed her chin, intrigued, "The main ingredients for this are flour, candied fruits and raisins more commonly. This type of sweet bread dates back to the Roman Empire, the ancient Romans sweetened a type of leavened bread with honey and after many versions of it, it eventually caused Spain to create their own type of sweetened bread."

Isami nodded in confirmation. Yuki and Ryoko looked astonished, "Oh, wow, it looks delicious!"

"Thank you for the food!" everyone exclaimed before they started cutting up the different cakes and sharing it with one another.

After a while, Lyca and Ryou talked among themselves as some took seconds.

"Um, excuse me, Lyca-san, Kurokiba-kun, do you mind getting me something from the front door? I must have forgotten my bag there, please," Erina asked politely, hoping her guise would work.

Lyca rose an eyebrow but nodded nonetheless, "Oh, ok we will be right back Erina!" Ryou already stood up when Lyca rose from her seat and they both went toward the door of the kitchen.

"Kuku..." Alice snickered like a fox as she observed her two close friends.

When Soma, Erina and Alice stood up and raced toward where Ryou and Lyca had just disappeared to, the rest of the group followed.

"Why are we following them brother?" Isami looked down at his slightly shorter brother who huffed in annoyance.

"Because when it's about Yukihira and the others there's bound to happen something interesting Isami," he stated it matter-of-factly.

"Uh..." Lyca stared blankly up at the familiar batch of herbs, hung up above her and her partner's heads.

Oh these little match makers will pay...

"Ohh! Look! A mistletoe! I didn't know we had one here!" Alice jumped up and down in excitement, Hisako was shell shocked, blushing till the roots of her hair at the implications of the decoration.

Ryou looked up at it, then back at Lyca, who had rosy cheeks, from anger or embarrassment he had no clue.

"Well, nobody ever said people have to kiss on the mouth," to Lyca's mortification, Ryou actually came closer to her and started leaning down, his breath started fanning over her face, he was far too close, she could almost feel his chest pressing against hers!

Mayday, mayday, may-

Her eyes opened in surprise when she felt soft pressure from warm, slightly chapped lips against her forehead, strands of his hair tickling the sides of her face gently as he drew back after only a few seconds and Lyca found herself a bit cold away from his warmth.

" _Damn it!_ _I knew this would backfire! Ryou! Bad dog! You should have kissed her on the mouth!"_ somewhere from the front rows, Alice shouted angrily, stomping her feet on the floor like an angry child.

"U-uh, R-Ryou, I uh," Lyca stumbled over her words, not knowing what to say or how to feel, since she was never kissed before in her life.

" _Y-Yuki! Megumi! Stay with us!"_ Ryoko and Erina were fretting over the two girls, who had blood running a thin trail from their noses and their faces were tomato red.

" _T-t-t-that's r-r-right, p-p-please w-w-wake up!"_ Erina looked like she would be the next one to pass out.

Soma stood there with crossed arms, a frown on his face, "Eh...well that was boring," he commented with a loud exhale.

"What did you say Yukihira?" Ryou's threatening aura surrounded the disappointed boy.

"I'm just saying, I expect something a little bit more with bite from you Kurokiba but-"

" _YOU WANT BITE YUKIHIRA?!"_ Ryou's mad dog form fully overwhelmed the usually stoic and quiet guy as he grabbed Lyca around the waist.

 _"_ _NOT THAT KIND OF BITE YOU MORON!"_ Lyca's voice carried well out the dorm, closely followed by a loud, pained yelp from Ryou and a smacking sound.

* * *

Kojiro smiled softly and poured his finest wine into a large red wine glass, the crystal glass illuminated by the soft warm glow of the lights and the Christmas tree nearby.

The woman smiled and thanked Kojiro for it, the glasses clinking as they lightly met in the middle, "Oh Kojiro this is absolutely lovely, I don't even want to know how expensive that wine was," the woman smiled tenderly, patting his cheek affectionately.

The chef chuckled, "I told you, don't concern yourself over such things mom. Regrettably this is a rare occurrence where we can spend some time together," he smiled warmly at his mother.

The elderly woman laughed, "Don't be such a party pooper, let's enjoy it ne? Besides, you call me as often as your busy schedule allows and you send me at least half of your allowance every month," she giggled.

Kojiro frowned, "Mom...it's not "allowance" it's my loan..." he sighed and ran a hand down his face, his mother laughed out loud, feeling happy with her son in his home, surrounded by warmth, a delicious dinner and the beautiful Christmas tree they decorated together.

* * *

Hinako Inui sighed, walking toward a familiar apartment as she held a small box in her hands, the gift box was nicely decorated but discreet, nothing too flashy.

She smiled down at it warmly, remembering her ambition to gift that mean chef something. She had just come from a small Christmas party with the other alumni and had excused herself, saying she had to tend to something important, but the knowing looks by Gotoda and Mizuhara sent her running out the door with a blush.

Finally opening the door to the apartment complex, she entered the warmer building and walked up the stairs. She had only been here a handful of times, but knew the way well enough. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door timidly, anxiously waiting until he opened it.

Kojiro stood up from his seat when someone knocked on the door, "Who could it be at this time?" he muttered to himself, feeling slight aggravation licking at the surface of his being at being interrupted some quality time between him and his mother that he rarely got to see.

With a sharp retort sitting on the tip of his tongue, ready to tell whoever it was on the door off, he was met with surprise when he saw none other than his fellow alumnus and friend Hinako standing there, holding a gift box in her hands, her cheeks rosy and her eyes as warm as her smile.

"Eh? I-Inui?" he was startled, certainly not expecting her to suddenly stand here. Didn't they have some Christmas party with the other alumni? Why was she here?

His startled reaction slightly boosted her confidence, "Shinomiya-senpai...I'm sorry to disturb but I-"

"Who is that at the door Kojiro?" the voice of his mother brought him out of his startled reverie.

He stumbled over his words slightly, "Uh, it's just a friend from my high school days, Hinako."

Kojiro's mother beamed happily, "Oh! Well why are you being so rude? Have I raised you like that? Let her in! Let her have dinner with us!" with a mental smack to his face, Kojiro opened the door and stepped aside to let Hinako in.

She was embarrassed beyond belief, she had no idea that he was having dinner with his mother otherwise she wouldn't have even come! "O-oh, my apologies please don't let me disturb! I think I should go now-"

"It's alright Hinako," it was the first time since a long time that Kojiro called her by her first name, without any annoyance in his voice but with sincerity.

She knew he was a good person at heart, but ever since earning the Pluspol Award in France he had become different, cold and even more ruthless than he used to be.

She smiled warmly, "Thank you," he nodded, ushering her in and closing the door. Like a gentleman, under his mother's hawk-like gaze, he helped Hinako out of her winter coat, hanging it up and guiding her to sit down at the table.

His gift was still in her hands and with no small amount of embarrassment, she stretched it out to him, "I-It's nothing special but I thought it would be nice if I gifted you something for Christmas," Kojiro looked at the present astonished before a small smirk grew on his lips and he accepted the box.

Hinako turned to his mother, who was smiling smugly at the display, "M-my sincerest apologies Miss Shinomiya! I had no idea you would be here too! I would have gone to buy you something as well, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm-"

The elderly woman laughed and hushed the frantic alumnus, "Hush dear, please, it's quite alright, your company makes me happy," she smiled reassuringly at her, remembering Hinako from her younger years when she would sometimes visit their house to bring soup for Kojiro whenever he was sick.

"H-Hinako," Kojiro gasped, frozen in place as he stared at the gift inside the box.

He was instantly reminded of his youth again.

Before he departed to France, Hinako had given him something as a parting gift.

 _"_ _Wait! Shinomiya-senpai!" a teenage Hinako Inui ran frantically to catch up to a equally younger Kojiro, who was waiting for his flight tickets._

 _"_ _Huh? Hinako? What are you doing here?" he blinked, not entirely understanding why she came all the way here. She already saw him off and wished him good luck so why did she come back?_

 _She panted, hands on her bent knees to catch her breath, "S-Shinomiya-senpai...I-I...I know you will make it big in France despite your mean attitude! I know you will fight with your staff and harass other people but I have faith you will-" he swiftly chopped her on the head._

 _"_ _Your point?! Did you come all the way here to-" he was cut off when Hinako thrust something in front of his face._

 _"_ _H-here! This is for you!" her cheeks were a rosy color and he blinked a few times to reassess the situation. Slowly, he took the supposed parting gift from her hands and stared at it in wonder, "I-I know it isn't much but I-"_

 _"_ _It's..." he muttered, disbelief lining his words, "Hinako but that's yours! I can't just-"_

 _"_ _Please take it!" she was insistent, bowing her head, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. He was quiet for a moment, but sighed and smiled._

 _"_ _Hina..." gently, he petted her head, just like when she purposely lost the Shokugeki to him, "Don't worry, I promise you I'll make it big there," he smiled._

 _She grinned back, "Right!"_

"This was..." he started but his words got caught in his throat.

"Remember? You sent me a postcard from France and...well, the gift is the memory of the time there and my necklace," she twiddled with her fingers, embarrassed when she noticed how intently his mother was observing them.

"Hina..." he muttered his nickname for her, a name she hadn't heard in a long time. He abruptly stood up and hugged her, "Thanks, _dunce,_ " he chuckled when she jabbed him in the ribs for the comment, but she smiled nonetheless.

"Of course," she smiled wider when he petted her head like once so long ago.

The photo showed him with the rest of the alumni, Mizuhara, Gotoda, him and Hinako when they all visited him in France. Behind them was a restaurant, " _Shino's"_ proudly on display.

There was a small hand written text underneath the photo, " _I made it – Kojiro,"_

On top of the photo was a black leather cord necklace with a small crystal attached at the end.

* * *

"I knew I would find you here old friend," Gin said as he clapped Joichiro on the back, the man with the unruly hair grinned.

"Heh, guess I attract bad luck huh?" he joked while downing the rest of his drink.

Gin chuckled, "You always had a knack for making trouble...and attracting it, just like Soma it seems,"

At the mention of his son, he perked up, "Ahh, say how is he doing there?"

Gin smirked, "Like father, like son I would say. I see you in him, he has great potential and I hope he keeps improving, he can make it big Joichiro," he smiled, ordering a drink for himself.

Joichiro grinned, "Heh, of course! He's my son after all!" he laughed wickedly.

Gin shook his head, "It's good to have you back, aren't you going to Soma and spend Christmas with him? I heard he's at the dorm," Gin tilted his head in curiosity.

"Nah, I'll let the youth be. He doesn't need his old man at a Christmas party, besides I got you to annoy," he grinned, nudging his old friend with his elbow.

Gin sighed, "I regret coming here already," he chuckled when Joichiro tried to look sad at his comment.

He lifted his glass, "So, merry Christmas?" he smirked.

"Merry Christmas old friend," Gin nodded, raising his glass in a toast.

Joichiro patted his breast pocket, beneath the jacket, in a small inner pocket lay a photo, it's edges were slightly tattered and worn, but it was in good condition.

The photo showed him, Soma when he was just a baby and a young woman in front of the Yukihira, smiling happily as the picture was taken.

* * *

"Hmm...Isshiki-senpai said I should drink this before going to sleep...I hope he didn't put something funny in there," Lyca rolled her eyes playfully as she poured the liquid into a cup, the delicious aroma immediately filling her senses and calming her mind.

"Mhmm...well, something that smells so good can't be that evil..." with a small smile, she lifted the cup to her lips and softly blew on it, taking a small sip to test it.

Immediately warmth filled her being, creating a sense of calmness in her she didn't know when she last experienced, memories flashed through her mind, good ones she shared with Alice and Ryou when they were younger, the times they sneaked out of the mansion and had fun together.

It reminded her of a time where everything had been alright.

"Thanks Isshiki..." she whispered into her empty room, smiling warmly as she was curled in her bed with the warm tea in her hands.

The seventh seat of the Elite Ten smiled when he heard the voice of his friend whisper her thanks to him, unknown to her he heard every word.

He chuckled quietly and whispered, "You're welcome Lyca," he looked out his window and saw the slowly falling snow.

"Merry Christmas," he whispered with the smell of cinnamon and fresh pine in the air.

 **Merry late Christmas everyone! I hope you enjoyed this short little one shot! I'll try to update again as soon as I can! :)** Thank you for your patience!


	19. The Wolf and the Salamander

Hello everyone **!** I'm back! ...After very long, strenuous months ^^ I'm very sorry that this story doesn't get the same attention as my other ones but now I've finally found my inspiration to write Shokugeki no Soma fics again and I started writing immediately on this one! :3 Thank you all so much for having the patience to wait for my brain to finally function ^_^

 **NOTICE:** **There was a error before and the whole chapter DIDN'T get published but here it is!**

 **BTW: "The Salamander"** is Rentaro Kusunoki, I thought if he was already referred to as "heatmaster" why also not salamander?

 **The Wolf and the Salamander**

* * *

 _Previously on The Mad Dog & The Ferocious Wolf..._

 _Lyca bit her lip in anticipation._

 _This was it._

 _Now she'll get to see if the rumors centering around the Central member were true._

 _Was he really as good as rumors depict him to be?_

 _"_ _L-Lyca!?" a timid female voice called softly in surprise._

 _"_ _M-Megumi?" Lyca turned around with wide eyes, stunned to see the timid blue haired girl here._

 _"_ _What are you doing here?" Megumi asked, looking at Lyca then at the Shokugeki match below them, which already started._

 _Her eyes widened at who she saw._

"M-Megumi?! Wha-" Lyca trailed off, her eyes widening further when she saw who was walking behind Megumi.

"Uh...Lyca?" Soma tilted his head to the side, blinking owlishly as he stared at his friend, then at the Shokugeki match below.

"Souma-kun!" Lyca nearly shouted, causing a few glares to be directed her way. She suddenly felt her temper rising and shot them darker glares, immediately making them flinch and look away.

"Uh...I...I can explain..." Lyca desperately tried to come up with a idea, she didn't want to admit that she actually accepted the invitation to watch a guy, _her enemy_ , have a Shokugeki! How would that sound like?

Megumi looked like she wanted to ask her something, the curiosity in her eyes palpable, but Souma suddenly redirected her around and back toward the direction where they came from, "S-Souma-kun!?"

"Sorry, this is the wrong hall. Tadokoro, I told you we went the wrong way! We should have turned left and not right! Sorry there, enjoy the Shokugeki Lyca!" Souma turned his head just so, locking eyes with Lyca briefly.

Lyca froze, recognizing the serious look in Souma's eyes, she remained silent, internally thanking him for saving her ass.

Megumi turned to catch a glimpse of Lyca, catch a glimpse of how confused she looked now.

When Souma and her were out of the arena, she stopped and asked timidly, "U-um...S-souma-kun, what do you think why was Lyca-san-"

Souma suddenly interrupted her, gaze steady and burning with a certain level of trust Soma showed to his closest friends, "I don't think anything," Megumi's eyes widened, surprised at the serious tone of her usually easy going friend, "That was a normal Shokugeki between two chefs, if she wants to look at it, then she can if she wants to." Souma turned his head to look at Megumi with a smile, "Right, Tadokoro?"

Megumi remained silent for a while, too stunned and confused over Soma's behavior to answer, before she realized she was taking far too long, "R-right!" she nodded, looking only as half convinced as she sounded.

Souma nodded, continuing on his way with Megumi slowly walking at his side, lost in thought.

" _Souma-kun is acting weird...but why was Lyca-san there? I knew who that was down there. It was that chef from Central! But why would she willingly watch a Shokugeki where Central is involved?"_ she looked at Souma's equally thoughtful face, " _Maybe Soma-kun knows more than he lets on?"_

Instead of voicing her thoughts, Megumi remained silent, deciding to voice her opinion at the dorm with the girls instead. She didn't know if her suspicions were something worth to worry about, besides, once Lyca was there, she would hopefully get some answers to the questions burning in her mind.

Rentaro frowned, not having missed the appearance of two annoying _pests_.

" _Why are they here? How did they find her? Perhaps she told them..."_ the Shokugeki was announced, ripping Rentaro out of his thoughts.

His lips formed a slow, menacing grin, "I'll make you beg, freshman shit," the first year student of the Patisserie RS actually looked intimidated for a moment, but he swallowed down his fear and started working on his dish.

Rentaro grinned, grabbing his knife and setting to work. As the Shokugeki drew on, he felt his previously riled up mind start to calm down, working methodically, with a trained eye on details and expressing his dish in the best way as he neared to the finish. He looked into his beloved and most prized steam convection oven, a small grin settling on his exotic features. He counted down the time until it would be ready, until he heard the signal to take it out and serve it, ready to _win_.

 _1..._

Lyca leaned in, feeling the anticipation buzzing intensely, everyone nearly deathly silent, a few astonished gasps here and there, but otherwise the whole audience of student bodies waited with baited breath how the Shokugeki may end.

She picked up on a few boys whispering heatedly near her, "Hey what do you think who will win? The central guy or that guy from the Patisserie club? Huh, I bet Central ain't as tough as they make us think, it's all for show and to scare us anyway,"

Another boy shushed the taller one, "Shh! Don't let anyone from Central hear you say that! It'll be you cooking down there and getting humiliated by them! I heard they actually take something the cook hold's dear once they beat them in a Shokugeki! Can you believe me losing my knife set my mom gifted me? That would be terrible!" Lyca had to silently agree.

 _2..._

The way he concentrated, so calmly, collected intrigued her. Of her overall assessment of him, he seemed to be like Ryou when he had his bandanna on; aggressive, headstrong, forward, rude and more than willing for risks. However, he was meticulous in his cooking to a fault in the kitchen, he kept his workplace always clean, the way he cooked dishes that weren't up his alley suggested he was more skilled than he had let on in the few Shokugeki's she had seen him in.

Just then, Lyca noted she hadn't really seen him cook, _seriously_ cook, before. There was always a certain limit where a chef poured all of his knowledge and potential in cooking, that mostly happened when their possible career as a chef and place in Tootsuki is endangered. After all, it was best not to reveal all cards until absolutely necessary.

But here...her eyes narrowed, various speculations coursing through her mind, " _I'm watching one of my enemies battling it out in a Shokugeki, maybe I can try and analyze his style and see a weak point?"_ a small voice at the back of her mind whispered she may not find one, but she shook her head, concentrating back on the Shokugeki.

 _3..._

" _Ohh it seems like Kusunoki-senpai is done! Let's see, what will he serve to our dear judges?!"_ that annoying speaker girl spoke again, all the guys swooning at her bubbly voice but to Lyca it just grated on her nerves.

" _Tch...I can't believe how she has them all fooled..."_ she shook her head in exasperation, watching with a raised eyebrow the four dishes carefully balanced on Kusunoki's arms, covered by a medium sized silver dome on top of it, covering the potentially deadly dish meant to overwhelm their taster's senses and win the match for himself.

" _Sugoi! Looks like Kusunoki-senpai makes a big secret out of his dish! I wonder what our dear judges might say? A healthy applause for "_ there were some eager gasps from the crowd, Lyca scooting a bit farther to the edge of her seat so she had a better view.

" _I can't believe I'm excited for this...ugh, what would Ryou say?"_ immediately, her expression turned gloomy at the thought of her best friend, who most probably hated her now with the way he was acting. She bit her lip, " _Then again...it was me that gave him my handkerchief in the first place...maybe I've been too impulsive..."_ she touched the spot on her neck where she usually had her handkerchief tied to, feeling a bit exposed now that it's cover was gone.

The judges nodded at the dishes Rentaro placed before them, Dojima looked up at him, "Ah, finally, I've worked up an appetite seeing you in this Shokugeki," he commented with a smile, but something wasn't quite right.

Dojima seemed tense, if not worried, he shared a look with Shinomiya, who was seated beside him. He smirked, amused at seeing his long time friend looking very visibly irritated at being here as a judge where he should had _better things to do_ as he put it.

* * *

 _Flashback, a few hours before the Shokugeki..._

 _"_ _Ne, Shinomiya, what do you say on joining him for the judging? It'll be fun,"_ Dojima smiled, gesturing with one hand.

Shinomiya _snorted, "Not interested, besides I have more important tasks to do than watch some second rate Shokugeki match between two jealous brats-"_

 _"_ _Its settled then!"_ Dojima grabbed his friend by the back of his uniform, startling the chef and half dragging him along to the arena.

 _"_ _What?! You can't just-!"_ Shinomiya was in mid-protest when he was suddenly fixed by a intense glare from his superior.

 _"_ _We need to keep a close eye on things, especially concerning Central,"_ his steel grey gaze was sharp, forcing Shinomiya to murmur something under his breath and sigh, slowly fixing his uniform and straightening up.

Gold met grey in a clash of wills, _"...We know Central and Azami are up to something, so why waste time overlooking a mediocre Shokugeki when we should be concentrating on the more important ones?"_ he crossed his arms, glasses reflecting the light.

Dojima smiled _, "Because, Azami surely won't waste time in training his little soldiers to the best of his ability and that means in every Shokugeki any of them participate in, I suggest we try to find out as much as we can today,"_ he turned his broad back to him, heading for the hallway.

 _"_ _What exactly are we looking for?"_ Shinomiya asked, hands in his pockets as he followed his superior.

Dojima turned his head to lock eyes with the pink haired chef, _"Anything that makes you suspicious of a coup d'état,"_

Shinomiya stopped Dojima in his tracks with a firm call, _"What? That doesn't make any sense! Azami already is headmaster of this school!"_

Dojima's gaze was serious, shadows making his expression seem almost...menacing _, "I never mentioned Azami. I'm talking about his little soldiers,"_

Shinomiya felt his throat constrict.

 _Flashback End_

* * *

Shinomiya glared at his superior, crossing his arms, " _Stage a coup d'état? I doubt even Central was as brash as that...then again, Azami was always one for surprises..."_ he snorted, eyeing the round dome covering the dish he was supposed to taste.

He locked eyes with the young chef, who gazed calmly back.

"Let's begin then," Shinomiya went first, his hand moving on top of the dome and removing it. Immediately, soft steam was coming out of its confined imprisonment, washing over the chef's senses.

A sweet smelling aroma greeted him and he was compelled to look down and try to identify the pastry behind the curtain of steam.

It looked like... "A ginger-orange steamed pudding?" Shinomiya rose an eyebrow, looking up at the Central member in bewilderment and obvious lack of interest. Did he honestly think such a mediocre dish would satisfy _his_ taste buds?

Rentaro smirked, "Not quite. I've changed the recipe a bit, look closer,"

Sensing his friend's irritated aura radiating off him in waves, Dojima quickly cut in with a small smile, "He's right, look at its surface," the pink haired chef did as told, though reluctant.

Shinomiya narrowed his eyes, staring at the gold-like bubbly surface of the pudding with a critical eye, trained gaze roving over its spongy surface with the precision of a painter mustering his latest painting.

"...Molecular gastronomy?" Dojima nodded and smiled, looking back at his own dish.

Rentaro nodded, "By incorporating molecular gastronomy I created pearls of gold made of orange juice, a bit of honey and cinnamon. The spongy body is made of golden syrup, oranges, light brown sugar, margarine, ground ginger, eggs and self raising flour."

Dojima continued explaining, lifting a finger as he did so, "Using sodium alginate and potassium chloride and mixing it with the other ingredients enabled him to use one of the finer techniques in molecular gastronomy by creating these small spheres which burst forth with flavor the minute you bite into them. Since you said you've used honey, golden syrup, sugar and oranges its bound to hold a sweet taste with a bit of a bitter note thanks to the oranges,"

As the judges finally bit into the little spheres of flavor, a river of gold filled with oranges, honey and sugar filled their mouth, exploding from within and coating their taste buds in a electrifying state of ecstasy. It was like swimming in a large pool of liquid gold, the scent of light cinnamon, ginger and oranges in the air, the sweet, sweet honey in your mouth and the golden syrup surrounding your body in waves of yellow and orange, like water currents gently massaging your body until it turned into a puddle of goo in its arms.

"Mhmmm!" Kakinoshin Oizumi exclaimed in perfect bliss, eyes closed and cheeks flushed to a bright red, feeling lightheaded at the taste and what great impact it had on his very being.

He was flying...no... _swimming_...swimming in a field of liquid _gold_ and honey and everything that was _good_! He was being _carried_! He laughed, overflowing with ecstasy.

Lyca was taken aback, eyes narrowing nervously when she saw how the judges reacted, even Dojima and Shinomiya seemed to be pleased!

" _What the hell? Was he really that good? Normally Shinomiya isn't so easy to impress as well as Dojima-senpai but...just...how good is he?"_ Lyca looked at Rentaro, who appeared to be surprisingly calm during their tasting, " _He's far too calm..."_

Seishu Saotome giggled giddily, holding a hand to his red cheek, nearly panting "Ohhh isn't this _wonderful!_ Such _depth_! Such _flavor_! And that's alone from those golden spheres sent from heaven!" Rentaro almost thought that hearts would appear in his eyes.

Dojima chuckled, "Now let's taste the main dessert," he cleared his throat to catch the attention of his awe stricken colleagues, Shinomiya didn't look too affected but Dojima saw he was nonetheless pleased with the dish.

The minute the chopstick glided down its spongy surface, the texture gave way effortlessly, as if a hot knife were sliding through butter. Immediately, Shinomiya's eyebrow raised, " _Contrary to what I believed, the puddings texture is far softer than I anticipated. On the outside, it looked to be a bit crunchy... was I mistaken?"_

Bright light nearly blinded him and Kojiro had to readjust his glasses, "What the-?"

Rentaro smiled, "There's a surprise,"

Indeed there was.

The judges were nearly blinded by bright, yellow light which enveloped them all in its spell and drew them in to discover its hidden potentials.

"A cream?" Dojima's eyes widened slightly, not expecting this turn of events.

"Yes," Rentaro smirked, "It's made from sugar syrup, honey, a touch of lemon, vanilla extract and margarine,"

The judges paused momentarily before deciding to taste it, letting the creamy texture overwhelm their taste buds and ignite a fire in their belly that stirred their hunger which was previously rather mild.

Surprisingly, the first one to be finished was Shinomiya. He looked uncomfortable to say the least, his steely sharp gaze still in place, however Lyca could see he wasn't feeling all too well in judging a member of Central as well as his dish tasted alas he was bound by the Shokugeki rules.

Shinomiya nodded, "The simple dish made by-"

He was suddenly cut off by Rentaro himself, "I don't think it's necessary to mention the loser's dish when we know mine was by far superior," he smirked, a dark aura dancing about him as his eyes twinkled in mirth and malice.

The student next to him shivered, fear radiating off of him in waves, face contorted in a show of conflicting emotions predominantly fear and anger.

Shinomiya's eyes narrowed in warning, "I suggest you hold your tongue," Rentaro's own eyes narrowed in response, but he knew better than to defy a judge, much less an _alumnus_.

"My apologies," he bowed briefly, respectfully, his features still sharp and wild.

Just as the final verdict fell and Rentaro Kusunoki was announced as the winner of this Shokugeki, among the mixed cheers and shouts of the crowd, he spotted Lyca.

She felt exposed in a way she hadn't before under his intense and surprised gaze, was he surprised she actually came? That she still stayed? She didn't know and she had a feeling that even if she asked, he wouldn't tell her.

And yet she couldn't help but watch him, like a scientist studying his latest experiment, his reaction though, intrigued and stunned her.

He smiled.

And she didn't know what to do except wave and smile back.

* * *

She stood outside, waiting. Before she exited the arena she, if her eyes hadn't played tricks on her, saw how Rentaro waved once and mouthed " _wait_ " before she lost sight of him in the crowd of students heading for the exit.

She had been unsure of her acceptance to his invitation, much less her arrival at his Shokugeki, her nerves were frayed at their seams, her hands slightly sweaty and she constantly asked herself:" _Is this okay?"_

Usually, she was confident. Perhaps not in her looks, not necessarily in her brains (that was Maruis department), maybe even not completely in her homemade fruit salads (for some odd reason or another, they always ended up too sweet and too much swimming in orange juice) but she was confident in her cooking.

But for the love of god, she wasn't confident when it came to her heart. She had many role models when she was younger, usually chefs but also some artists, for the way they drew landscapes and sceneries she could only admire in paintings, some singers and bands, some writers and other famous people who managed to make their dreams come true and create a name for themselves.

She also admired Ryou. But with him, it almost seemed... _natural_ to admire him. He was strong, where she could only _wish_ to be, he was confident, where she was sometimes a coward, he could take all the blame in the world and stomp it with his feet because he wouldn't give a damn, she would drown herself in sorrow. His cooking was vicious and aggressive and hers was too, simply because of the way the both of them grew up, in a port town in a pub full of brawly men that would have kicked them out at the slightest signs of fear or submission.

She always made sure to appear strong, confident, _vicious_ in a Shokugeki, in front of her opponents, her pride wouldn't let her otherwise. She knew for a fact she could be just as aggressive and demanding as Ryou, but she knew, deep down, she was different. She never knew what to listen to, her heart or her mind.

Ryou knew, he listened to his gut. If his gut told him it was a bad idea, he vehemently refused to do it.

She would always question it, question if the decisions she made were right or wrong.

Just like this one.

"Lyca?" she turned around, snapping out of her thoughts when she saw the young man she was waiting for, Rentaro Kusunoki, member of Central, her _enemy_ , the _enemy_ that was smirking at her casually, as if they were friends.

She shook off her nervous thoughts, casting them aside and adopted her usual "wolf" persona, smirking back, "Rentaro,"

His smirk widened and she felt a bit insecure, wondering why on earth she was alone with someone from Central, a guy that beat up her best friend. She suddenly wished that Megumi and Soma were back.

"Your Shokugeki...it quite surprised me," she scratched at her neck, briefly forgetting she didn't have her handkerchief wrapped around it anymore...

He rose an eyebrow, "Oh really? Why?" he talked like Ryou when he had his bandanna on, a bit aggressive, a bit brash, a bit rude. She could deal with that.

"I don't know you or your full potential so I can't tell just how good of a cook you are, the other chef wasn't a pushover and yet you beat him in his own specialty." She analyzed, finding Rentaro not quite liking her observation of him, "I wonder...does Central always operate like that? Beating the people they challenge in their own specialized cooking styles so their defeat tasted even more bitter at the end?" her eyes were boring into his intensely, something which surprised him.

As far as he remembered, from those brief glances he casted at her during his match, she had looked...peaceful. But now it seemed like she had her walls up.

He frowned, "Tch, someone like you doesn't need to understand how Central works. Unless of course you're thinking of joining," his cocky smirk was back, lips spreading to reveal white teeth.

She scoffed, crossing her arms stubbornly, "In your dreams, salamander," the way she spat the last word would made anyone else cringe, but not him.

At his lack of response after several minutes, Lyca opened her eyes and looked at him. He was staring at her weirdly, as if a fly just flew out of her mouth.

"...What?" she tilted her head, wondering if he saw something disturbing.

"...What...did you just call me?" he didn't sound angry, in fact, he was...surprised?

"Salamander?" she wondered if her impulsive nickname giving would get her in trouble one day. She blamed Ryou for that character trait of hers. Oh and how she blamed him.

In a gesture he usually did when alone and confused, he scratched at his messy hair, the cross jiggling with the movement on his ear, "Salamander huh..."

After tense moments, he shrugged nonchalantly, "Heh...not the coolest name out there..."

"Wait...are you actually _liking_ it?" she blinked rapidly, trying to gain a semblance of understanding for this weird situation.

Rentaro looked offended, "Tch, of course _not_! As the great Rentaro Kusunoki, I would need a more regal name," he smirked.

Lyca deadpanned, "Rentaro the stupid Salamander?" his eye twitched, "Hmm...Lizardman?" a scoff, "Ohhh _I_ _know!_ Rentaro the Obnoxious Lizard!"

* * *

"Looks like Rentaro-kun is having fun with one of the juniors?" cat-like eyes and a minx smile were directed at the laughing pair, the badge of Central proudly displayed on her chest.

"I want you to keep a close eye on him," the tall figure clad in black watched the scene with a blank expression, but Rindo could see the subtle anger radiating off him, "A very close eye,"

His gaze narrowed when he noticed the small smile on his soldier's face.

Looks like old Azami isn't too happy about one of his little 'soldiers' going to the other side. . I'm really sorry I'm not updating a lot, school's been pushing me to my limits. **Let me know in a review if you liked this chapter and what could happen next! :)**


	20. Cooking up a Storm

Hello dear readers and faithful followers still keeping a close eye on this story! ^^ Again, I can't apologize enough about my very late updates! I will try to update a bit faster, but with my other stories needing my attention, I unfortunately can't promise anything! But please enjoy this short chapter!

 **I never imagined this story actually being as popular as it is and that takes me by surprise! Because of that alone, I'll try to frequently update and get the plot moving! :) Thanks for sticking with me!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Cooking up a Storm**

* * *

A shiver ran down Lyca's spine suddenly and she had no idea if it was because of the young man before her or something else. Discreetly looking over Rentaro's shoulder, she tried seeing into the darkness of the entrance to the arena, with no luck.

"Got something to look at?" came the smug voice of her unusual companion and Lyca had to bite back a menacing retort.

"Certainly not you," there goes her resolve...

It seemed to amuse him, her fire, because in the next minute, he walked past her and called back, "You coming or not? I sure as hell won't carry your ice cream over to you,"

Turning slowly and almost robotically so, Lyca couldn't help but feel a little lost, "...Ice...cream?" was he kidding?

His expression was the epitome of annoyance as he turned his head briefly to look at her with a evil eye, "You know, the cold delicacy that most kids like," his tone was casual if not a bit snippy and Lyca was glad that he didn't choose to be the same creep like he was at that party at Alice's place.

Finding the words to describe this bizarre situation was currently well beyond her, choosing to walk in step with him, a good distance between them in case he tried something funny.

 _Sorry, this is the wrong hall. Tadokoro, I told you we went the wrong way! We should have turned left and not right! Sorry there, enjoy the Shokugeki Lyca!_

Soma's face popped into her mind, his words echoing in her head as she tried making sense of them.

There was no way they didn't see who she was watching, who was cooking down there and humiliating a perfectly respectable chef of the Patisserie RS.

" _But why did Soma ignore it? To not embarrass me? To interrogate me later? Maybe he didn't want Megumi to say something out of line? No, sweet Megumi wouldn't do that but still..."_ his grinning face came in her mind's eye and she sighed in defeat, " _What are you plotting, Yukihira?"_

"A penny for your thoughts?" she snapped out of her thoughts at Rentaro's words, finding his brow lifted in mild annoyance and confusion.

She huffed, "Save it," she turned her head and at his surprisingly loud exhale, she peeked at him quickly to judge his reaction.

Disappointment.

What the hell?

"We started off on the wrong foot," she could only agree, "And I've been a little bit of a jackass to you," _now_ he's hitting it home, "But we're both students of the same school, right?" his logic didn't quite reach her.

"...Yeah?" he smirked at her obvious confusion.

"I think getting some ice cream isn't anything unusual," he grinned at her, "Right?"

Remaining quiet for a moment to decipher his words, she slowly nodded, albeit hesitantly and she found she had just signed her own death sentence.

His face uncharacteristically brightened, "Hm, good," his grin was far too devilish to be feeling safe.

" _Damn it...where's nosy, obnoxious Soma when you need him?!"_ she silently hoped she didn't just tangle herself into anything dangerous as they made their way over to a ice cream salon.

"Tootsuki does have its surprises," he commented and she said nothing, making her order before he made his and taking her ice cream cone in hand before they were walking again.

The unease in her stomach flared up again when he smirked at her, "You know, Central could use someone like you," he seemed even more unsettling while eating ice cream, a very bizarre thought, "A strong spirit, a bit of a spitfire but we can fix that," a shiver ran down her spine when she imagined what Central understood under "fixing" things.

"You're not gonna make me into one of your mindless soldiers. I just came because you seemed sincere with your invitation, don't go getting any ideas," her gaze narrowed and her tone turned almost acidic, Erina would be proud.

The male scoffed in indignation, lifting his chin, "Hm, sincere huh?" he gave a thoughtful hum and she watched him closely, "How about we-"

"Lyca-chan! There you are!" she thanked every deity and every cooking god she ever came to know and love that the voice of none other than Isshiki greeted her.

Nearly spinning on her heel, she spotted the tall, for once fully dressed form of the former Seventh Seat walking toward them, a pleasant and friendly smile on his face like always.

Lyca too, smiled pleasantly as if not feeling like a cornered animal, "Isshiki-senpai! What a surprise!" she faintly heard the male behind her muttering something under his breath but ignored it for favor of greeting her good friend.

Bright blue eyes greeted her in a warm fashion and she inched just a bit closer to him, "Ah, I see you're with Kusunoki-san," he smiled and nodded politely at the shorter man.

Rentaro seemed peeved by his appearance but seemed to straighten his stance, nodding at the older former Seat, "Isshiki,"

Blue eyes that were so warm and kind a moment ago turned distinctively sharper, almost a bit...intimidating as he regarded the other chef, "I heard you were up against someone from the Patisserie RS, it has been a exciting match for sure," the pleasant yet slightly creepy smile unnerved Lyca.

Slowly regaining his confidence, Rentaro nearly snarled cockily, "Heh, the freshman shit has seen it coming." He offered no further words on the matter but Lyca worried what Isshiki's response may be.

The taller chef regarded it coolly, "I see," his kind smile returned when he looked down at Lyca, "Souma has been looking for you, you know? I've been searching everywhere for you Lyca-chan," he smiled brightly and Lyca felt like the earth could swallow her in its depths and she wouldn't mind it _a bit._

"Uh...y-yeah, yeah alright." She laughed nervously, turning to face the Central member, "Uh, right, well I guess I'll get going then." She added as an afterthought, "Bye, Rentaro," she waved briefly, chanting over a thousand 'thank you's in her mind, all directed towards Isshiki.

With a farewell nod from the former Elite Ten member, they were gone, walking away from him.

The ice cream in his hand was steadily melting, as if his body temperature rose with the intensity levels of his temper, feeling anger welling up inside of him, "Stupid ass Isshiki..." he growled out under his breath, ice cream falling to the floor at his feet.

* * *

" _I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, you weird naked chef!"_ Lyca's enthusiastic love confessions prompted a chuckle out of Isshiki's mouth.

"I'm glad to be of help," he laughed, patting her arm as she hugged him, "The truth was, I've heard from Soma-kun that you were watching a rather interesting Shokugeki and couldn't pass up the opportunity to watch it myself!" he smiled cheerfully.

" _What?"_ her expression was one of shock and surprise but Isshiki wasn't dettered.

"I came to watch too," Lyca suddenly paled and his expression quickly changed to one of mild concern, "Oh? Lyca-chan? You alri-"

"You mean you were _there_? Watching the Shokugeki?" her eyes looked like they would pop out of her head.

A calm nod and a cheerful smile was her answer.

She tore at her hair in mortification, " _Ugh!_ Why do I have the feeling like people are watching me? First Soma and Megumi and now you," she whined but in no way ill mannered toward her friend.

Isshiki smiled cheekily and tilted his head, "Oh? So you wanted to be alone with him hmm?" his smile was way too wide to be deemed innocent.

" _No!_ " jokes aside now, she sighed heavily, "I...I only accepted his invitation because I saw... _something_ Isshiki..." his demeanor turned serious, attention directed at her now, "I thought I saw someone under that whole Central façade, a chef that's as respectable and good as any other but I also saw..." at that she looked at him worriedly, "... _fear_ ,"

"And what do you think?" his voice was calm, low, keen gaze searching the passing student crowds around them.

Lyca stopped walking, "I think Azami is abusing them," the taller teen stopped, blue gaze wide as he gazed back at his friend.

* * *

"Rentaro..."

Ice traveled through his veins at the familiar low voice, eyes wide and body trembling.

Slowly, he turned his head, eyes wide and smile quivery, trying to keep up his aggressive act, "Headmaster..." the low chuckle from behind him caused his whole body to tense up.

"I see you've won another Shokugeki," the smile on his lips seemed fake and cold, his whole imposing demeanor radiating dominance and immediate obedience from anyone in his path.

"Yes," he tried keeping the shaking out of his voice, tried to sound calm and collected, like in the middle of cooking, but the comfort of thoughts of his kitchen immediately vanished when a strong hand settled on his shoulder.

"I've seen you mingling with the Polar Star dormitory," the hand tightened and Rentaro did everything in his power not to squirm, "I suggest you cease your behavior _at once_ ," the final warning squeeze prompted a very real, very violent shiver to overtake his entire body, making him feel physically ill.

"Y-yes, master," he lowered his head, a sign for submission as the tall shadow started disappearing.

"Good, prepare for your next Shokugeki," he nodded, emotionless eyes leaving the shivering form of the boy.

Rentaro said nothing, waiting as agonizing minutes ticked by until Azami was well out of earshot, before he nearly collapsed against the wall, the hand balancing himself against it shivering violently.

The urge to vomit came, but vanished as quickly when he swallowed the strong urge down, biting the inside of his cheek to calm his raging emotions.

Cold sweat ran down his back, neck, chest, everywhere. His hands felt clammy and cold and he felt slightly light headed.

Pushing his back to rest against the wall, he slowly slid down, eyes wide with fear and body tingling with shivers.

"Kusunoki-kun?" the voice of Rindou sounded from somewhere close by and he reluctantly looked up at the Elite Ten member.

"I see Azami paid you a visit," the understanding look in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by him but the indifference she felt toward him didn't go ignored either.

He chose not to say anything, lowering his gaze back to the floor.

She smirked, "Anyway, better luck next time, right? Have fun with Shokugekis!" she smiled cheerfully, waving at him like they were best friends, face bright with glee as she skipped away from him.

Unfortunately, he never saw the small frown on her face when light illuminated her features, understanding, haunted eyes reflecting her deeper understanding of the situation.

* * *

"Abusing, hm?" Isshiki let the information sink in, gaze directed toward the sky.

Lyca sighed, nodding mutely.

"And you're certain you saw something like fear in his eyes?" he briefly looked at her and again she only nodded.

A thoughtful hum later and Isshiki finally spoke, "It's not a farfetched theory," her surprised gaze shot towards him, "Tootsuki is known for its harsh teaching methods, chefs from all over the world competing against each-other only for a small amount to actually make it to the top. You're friends with Kurokiba-kun, right? His mantra "eat or be eaten" isn't very wrong, but I disagree with his theory that chefs can't have bonds with each-other," he looked directly at her, blue eyes serious and sharp, "Unfortunately, any bonds you may have had with anyone would be relentlessly crushed by Azami should you allow him full control of you as Central members do."

Seeing Lyca wasn't about to say anything anytime soon, Isshiki continued staring straight ahead, "You see, Central is a small group handpicked by Azami, made to "persuade" the students here at Tootsuki to cook by the rules and _only_ by the rules," he chuckled briefly, "You can see how the Polar Star dorm doesn't quite fit the picture, Soma especially, that's why Azami is intent on breaking us." And suddenly he was staring into her conflicted, warm brown eyes, "Whether it be as a group, or one by one,"

She swallowed, unconsciously gripping at her neck when her handkerchief usually was, tightening her hand into a fist when she only met the bare skin of her neck.

"Why can't we stop him, Isshiki?" her voice was quiet, not broken but wondering.

The older male frowned, "We are, Lyca," he closed his eyes, "With every Shokugeki we have, with every visible act of rebellion against his ways, we are stopping him, bit by bit." His kind smile returned, meant to reassure her, "You can't stop a war by going for its leader, you must first deal with the soldiers to gain the favor,"

Lyca stopped walking again and looked up at her friend, "So, this is a war?" her gaze hardened with resolve.

Isshiki smiled, "The hardest one yet,"

* * *

"Arghhhhh!" Yoshino fell back on her bed, arms coming down to press them against her face in frustration, a stray bunny jumping on her stomach.

Ryoko looked curiously at her frustrated friend, "What's wrong?" she set her book aside worriedly.

Yoshino cried out again and threw the pillow under her head at the far end of the bed, getting a hold of the bunny and holding him above her pouting face, "I'm sooo worried!" she wailed again.

Ryoko's gaze softened, "What about?" she had a pretty good idea why.

"Ugh, it's about Lyca and that stupid Kurokiba!" pouting face turned towards her sister figure, "They're pissing me off!"

Rarely hearing such words coming from her friend, Ryoko scooted closer to Yoshino's bed, her worry increasing by the second, "...You mean because they don't talk to each-other?"

Yoshino's eyes comically wide, furious, "They didn't talk to each-other in _weeks_! _Weeks_! When was the last time she really smiled? Did you see her fake smiles too? Ugh!" she set the bunny down and ran her hands down her face.

Ryoko smiled, placing a gentle hand on her friend's arm, "Everything will be alright, they just need time to sort things out." She smiled reassuringly until Yoshino suddenly sprung up, grin wide in glee.

"I have a idea how we can speed up the process! What if he lock them up together?!" the twinkle in her eyes meant nothing good, so Ryoko quickly fixed her friend with a firm, patronizing look.

"...No locking people into closets, I thought we discussed that already," Yoshino just fell back on her bed, wailing in her pillow in frustration.

Ryoko sighed, "But...I suppose there's no harm in maybe helping them," when Yoshino's head resurfaced from the comforts of her pillow, her eyes spoke volumes of her happiness as well as the dangerous, too wide smile adorning her face.

"Do tell, where is Alice hm?" Yoshino smirked devilishly.

 **I apologize for the constant delays! Writers block had me bad and my other stories were unfortunately demanding . I'll try to update within the span of a few weeks to keep you on your toes. Thanks for reading everyone! :) AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE!**


	21. Sugar and Spice

**A/N:** Hello everyone! Thank you for waiting for so long! :)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Guest:** Hi there! :) I'm glad you're enjoying my story, with the long waits and all ^^ The story will be getting a bit darker, but in a few chapters. Haha You caught me, yes I actually do somewhat ship them, since I noticed that in the manga as well as the anime, out of everyone they seem to stick close together or are at least the more level headed pair out of the bunch. I do hope I managed to keep them in character :) Thanks for reading again!

Enjoy! :)

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Sugar and Spice**

He could deal with heated discussions among his friends or even playful insults. Italians _were_ known for their temper after all, but when Lyca strolled into the kitchen this morning, wearing the possibly darkest scowl he ever saw on someone's face and an aura that seemed to spike whenever students made eye contact with her, he knew he would need to use all his skill and charm to get her out of that mood.

The Italian was quite surprised when the chef promptly sat down next to him, sighing long and hard only to rest her forehead on the counter.

Sharing a reassuring smile with his concerned brother, the older Aldini turned to address his friend, "Lyca, how about we have a Shokugeki after class, hmm? I'd like to show you my-"

He was cut off mid sentence when the girl lifted her head and for the first time since a few days ago, the Italian got a good look at her face.

The skin around her eyes was slightly swollen, lips looking too red and dry for someone who uses lip balm regularly, her nose was as red as her lips and her eyes looked dazed, almost as dazed when someone tried his Italian cuisine.

She was sick.

"Lyca, you don't look so good," Isami commented carefully, watching how the girl struggled to right herself on her seat.

She groaned, "I don't feel good either, Isami. After last night, I'm beat,"

Takumi rose an eyebrow questioningly, "Last night? What happened last night?"

Lyca rolled her eyes, "Souma did...some of his experimental cooking again..." she cringed and Takumi winced in sympathy, "I think that squid and shrimp combination didn't sit well with me..." she visibly shivered in her seat and when Takumi placed a comforting hand on her back, he could still feel small tremors wracking it.

His face softened in sympathy, "Let's get you to your room, I don't think it's a good idea if you attend class like this," standing up and sharing a look with his teacher, Hinako Inui, she nodded in turn when she noticed Lyca's condition, offering a comforting and warm smile in their direction.

Placing one supporting hand on Lyca's shaking shoulder, Takumi braced himself to slowly help the girl from her seat, her world spinning, when suddenly a low voice called out, "What do you think you're doing, Aldini?"

Lyca knew that voice, even with her swollen eyes, disorientated self and clouded senses she could recognize that voice from anywhere. It was the _last_ person she wanted to be around now.

She felt Takumi tense beside her, "Lyca is ill, I'm just helping her get to her dorm,"

The tall boy in front of the trio had other ideas, "Tch, she can handle herself," his voice was low and slightly gruff, a bit unusual for his calm, collected self outside of the kitchen.

Lyca struggled, but finally moved away from Takumi to stand on her own, albeit a bit wobbly, trying to dislodge the dizziness and feeling of nausea settling in the pit of her stomach.

Souma was going to _pay._

Pointedly avoiding eye contact with the taller male, she ignored her friend's protests, eyes widening when she felt her body moving forward without her consent, her weight pulling her body downward before she could react to straighten her posture.

She grit her teeth, already bracing herself for a hard, painful collision with the floor, but a strong arm gripped her shoulders tightly and she heard Ryou's voice close to her ear, "Pathetic," he turned his attention to the stunned brothers, "She has mild food poisoning from that idiot Yukihira's dish." His gaze was cutting, even without his bandana on, "From what I've smelled after entering the kitchen, Yukihira didn't properly mix the shrimp with the coconut milk well enough. The squid was still leaking ink, the bitterness of the ink mixed with the mild aroma of the coconut milk and likely caused these stomach cramps,"

Lyca was mentally cursing Souma in every language she knew in her head when she felt Ryou, surprisingly gently, very much contradicting his voice and mood, turn her around, keeping a firm grip on her shoulders to slowly lead her out of the classroom, many pairs of eyes settled on the infamous pair as they exited, with Hinako smiling softly during the whole exchange.

"Good morning everyone! Please sit down!" she smiled.

* * *

Feeling bleary and disgusted with herself, Lyca tried gaining some distance between them, feeling uncomfortable with the close proximity with the person she last wanted to be this close to currently.

Ryou however was having none of it, as he roughly pulled her closer, voice calm and low, "Don't move, idiot, you'll only make it worse,"

Feeling insulted and challenged, Lyca tried to muster every bit of the bite she had while in the kitchen, "I don't...need your help,"

And suddenly, his support was gone and again her world spun, feeling as if she was falling from a unbelievably high place and before she felt the urge to vomit, he was at her side again, the fluttering of her stomach and the bitterness in her throat receded slowly.

"I can see that," came his offhand comment and she scoffed weakly, reluctantly accepting his help.

While she was indeed still mad at him, it wasn't beneath her to show gratitude for helping her, "Thanks..." came her muttered reply, thankful for her bangs partly obscuring her face from his cutting gaze.

"Hn," she almost rolled her eyes at his attitude, but refrained since it only worsened the pressure in her head where her skull already felt like it would threaten to break apart just by moving her eyes.

His gaze traveled down to her hand, "How is your hand?" carefully, she raised her eyes to meet his, but they were partially concealed by his dark bangs so she looked down at her hand.

The skin around her knuckles was mostly healed, save for a few patches of peeling skin and slight pink surrounding it, "...It's good now," he hummed his confirmation.

And she suddenly felt how her knuckles began to pulse and throb, as if desperate to remind her of the time when Ryou had, uncharacteristically even to her, kissed her bruised knuckles right before calling her ' _milady'_ and leaving her room after their big fight.

Clenching her hand into a fist, she kept it at her side.

Her mouth ran dry when she saw Ryou's hand, particularly what was wrapped around it.

Ryou noticed her gaze, "...I found it on the floor outside your room," her gaze softened fondly but she refrained from reaching out.

She knew it sounded like a meek excuse, but she said it anyway, "I lost it..." she blinked, her vision just a bit clearer.

The infamous Mad Dog detected no lies in her tone, for which she was thankful for, "Why didn't you look for it?"

She answered truthfully, "I thought one of the others had it when I went back to look for it and didn't find it anywhere but didn't have the chance to give it to me yet," she bit her bottom lip, "But I..." Ryou waited, surprisingly patiently for her to continue as they slowly made their way through the halls, "I was too scared to ask anyone about it...I thought they might bring up the fight,"

It was subtle, but she felt Ryou's body tense for a split second, "Hm..." his hand remained buried in his pocket.

Lyca quieted down, opting to stare at their moving feet, noting how the powerful strides of Ryou contrasted so sharply with her own sluggish ones, her feet practically dragging behind her. She sighed, feeling weak and drained.

She wasn't so sure if it was solely Souma's fault. Perhaps her own emotional dilemma had caused her body to shut down after a full week of vicious Shokugeki's to keep her mind off it and working late nights in the kitchen at the dorm.

It also didn't help that she barely slept, staying awake at night and replaying her and Ryou's fight and conversation in her mind, the blurred image of her dead parents and Azami's reign over Tootsuki.

Keeping a firm grip around her, Ryou's gaze was trained in front of him, his mind a mess.

Usually, his mind was like a vicious steel trap during Shokugeki's and not much different outside of it but for the past few weeks, it had been nothing short of a storm.

Lyca and him had been together since they were children in Denmark, leading the old pub like they had and forming a close bond with each-other even stronger than with lady Alice.

He found himself often lost in memories these days...

 _Flashback_

 _The young cook was anything but amused as his men were all eagerly stationed in a circle around a table, looking at something little Ryou couldn't possibly see from that height._

 _He could see small ,flickering lights here and there and wondered what on earth it was that captivated his hard working men so._

 _"_ _What the hell are you all doing? Get back to work!" his angry call was oddly enough ignored in favor of viewing whatever it was that was on the table._

 _Clearing his throat loudly and growling under his breath, his men, one by one, dispersed to allow him a clear view of the spectacle._

 _It was Lyca, face and hands slightly dirty from her hard work of cleaning the kitchen but a big, bright smile on her face as she stood on the chair behind the tasty looking cake, topped with red and white colored frosting on top in the shape of domes all around and a white, thick cream on its sides, likely vanilla._

 _Ryou blinked, "What...what's with the cake?" he had to admit, the cake was a impressive feat, especially for a previously orphaned girl from the streets who was only in his kitchen for about half a year to date._

 _The girl smiled, beckoning for Ryou to come closer, "Ryou-kun! Come on sit here with me! It's our birthday!" she grinned, patting the seat next to her._

 _Ryou crossed his arms, eyebrow raised in a confused arch, "...Our birthday?" he scowled, "Did the fumes from the oven get to your head?"_

 _Lyca rolled her eyes, already used to his jabs, "Shut up and come up here, Ryou-kun," muttering under his breath at being commanded about by a girl in front of his men no less, Ryou climbed up the chair and stood on it, looking down at the tall cake with the lighted candles on top._

 _Lyca smiled, moving closer to the grumpy boy, "Well, it's not exactly our birthday, but it's the day you took me in!" the flash of white teeth didn't surprise him, as she had a tendency to deliver full blown smiles, teeth and all, whenever she was too excited and wanted to share her excitement with everyone._

 _What did surprise him were the tearful proclamations of his tough, hardened men, "Aw boss, now that's a real tear jerker!", "Yeah! She really worked hard on the cake! Give her some more credit boss!" , "Kurokiba-sama looks so happy!"_

 _At the last comment, Ryou failed to identify whoever dared to utter such nonsense, but a scathing glare promised pain if he did find out who said it-_

 _"_ _Ryou-kun," the sudden grip on his arm made him turn his head to directly look into Lyca's eyes, far too close to his own for his comfort, beaming at him so happily, "Come on, let's eat," she smiled, tugging on his arm and giving him a fork as the adults cut the cake for them._

 _Stunned to silence, Ryou watched his men carry plates for the cake slices, glasses for juice and chairs so they all sat in a relatively big circle around the table, laughing and talking like they hadn't in years._

 _And in the center was that girl, the girl that had nearly starved prior to coming into his kitchen, all skin and bones, and who managed to soften the hardened hearts of his men and actually gain acceptance from them. He didn't know how or why, but he had made the decision to take her in._

 _She had been an orphan, like he had, left in a unknown part of the country she had lived a few years of her young life with her parents, knowing nothing of its ugly sides and the dangers that lurked behind every passing shadow and every dark alleyway. It was a mystery to him how she managed to survive on the streets before she stumbled into his restaurant, but that was in the past now._

 _His men had grown to be a bit more...friendly since her arrival, oddly enough. While still the hardened veteran cooks Ryou had drilled them to be and had been prior to his arrival, they showered the girl with uncharacteristic kind gestures and generous offers they thought their chef wouldn't see._

 _Like smuggling extra food for her during dinner to make sure her gluttonous appetite would be sated and the sharp, noticeable curves of bone would soften when she gained weight, beating up misbehaving fishermen and sailors who thought it funny to pull on a girl's ponytail or shout at her to hurry the hell up and give them food even during rush hours._

 _Under Ryou's scrutinizing gaze however, nobody dared to even look wrongly at the girl, well aware that the young chef's wrath shall befall them and kick them out of his pub should they get on his bad side._

 _He remembered how it softened his staff's hearts to see the beaming smile full of appreciation and awe on the girl's face when she witnessed their skills in the kitchen, but he also remembered the impact it had on him as well. Bit by bit, when the girl learned to be a formidable chef in the kitchen as well, after each of their Shokugeki's, pieces of the previously unbreakable wall of steel he erected around himself seemed to fall apart._

 _Until all that was left was the young boy cook with bad manners and a potty mouth but a kind heart._

 _"_ _Ryou-kun," her smile reached her ears, "Won't you try some of the cake?" her gaze was hopeful as it remained trained on him when he grumpily shoved the fork full of cake into his mouth, glaring at the noisy girl._

 _For the briefest of seconds, his face had softened, intrigued by the powerful sweetness threatening to overwhelm his senses as the sweet, sweet icing melted in his mouth, sliding down his throat smoothly. The creamy texture beneath the fluffy topping mildly tasted like vanilla, cinnamon and butter cream, with a hint of lemon's signature sour but refreshing rush. He deduced she had rubbed a bit of the lemon's peel on top of it in tiny pieces, just to add freshness to the sweet flavor. The biscuit layer underneath absorbed some of the creamy texture's moisture, the fluffy layer a good contrast to help swallow the creamy substance easier with its fluffy but slightly dry composition._

 _His eyes flew open as he desperately tried to suppress the hunger he felt at having tasted such delicacy, "You made...this?" Lyca nodded enthusiastically and Ryou rubbed his mouth with his sleeve, mortified to find himself craving more._

 _"_ _Aw, is Ryou-kun blushing?!" Lyca was in his face in seconds, laughing merrily when the heat he felt in his cheeks traveled to the entirety of his face and down his neck._

 _He heard the roaring laughter of his crew and immediately, his Mad Dog persona was back full force, "Shut it you mongrels or you'll work the whole night cleaning the kitchen spotless! Shut up!" he growled and cursed when Lyca, not minding his outburst at all, crushed the fuming boy in a bear hug that only worsened the redness in his cheeks._

 _"_ _Thanks, Ryou-kun," she smiled and he cursed under his breath at the sweet smile she bestowed him with._

 _Flashback End_

* * *

"Ryou?" snapping out of his thoughts at Lyca's call, the seasoned chef found himself only steps away from her room at the academy.

Usually, students were assigned their own dorms or in Ryou's case, living in the mansion with Alice. But they had resting rooms for students who didn't feel well during classes to spare the students from the long walk to their dorms.

They were only steps away from the resting area now and he continued to effortlessly support more than half of Lyca's weight, sensing her to not be fit enough even for Shokugeki's anytime soon.

Before he made a move to open the door they now stood in front of, he felt a tug on the handkerchief he had wrapped around his wrist.

He couldn't see her eyes, hidden beneath her hair, but he didn't need to see her eyes in order to know she was trying hard not to meet his gaze. He didn't want to pressure her, he knew if he started what would result in a fight, he was risking their friendship even more.

Silently, he unwrapped the handkerchief from around his wrist and extended it toward her in invitation, watching how she took it, the tips of her fingers brushing against his open palm and a sense of dread filled him. Usually, they both weren't people all that cuddly or eager for body contact, like a certain Nakiri heiress, but they never shied away when it meant touching each-other during supportive roles in Shokugeki's or during teamwork activities.

Her usually sure touch now felt hesitant, as if he were a stranger. As if _they_ were strangers.

He let it slide, watching how she wrapped and tightened it loosely around her neck and for a moment, she was back to the confident ferocious chef he knew but as soon as she slightly lifted her head and he saw her face, the image was replaced.

This week, and possibly their fight had taken their toll on her. He hadn't bothered talking to any of the other Polar Stars afterwards, but according to the Aldini brothers' protectiveness over the girl, she wasn't in any good shape.

And that was what made his blood boil, seeing one of his closest, if not _the_ closest, friends looking so weak and fragile when he _knew_ she was capable of rivaling _his_ Mad Dog persona in a Shokugeki.

His jaw tightened, the corded muscles in his neck more pronounced under his opened collar as he opened the door for her and inclined his head, "Get some rest, lady Alice said you should come meet her in the kitchen after class,"

Mutely, she nodded, and Ryou had to restrain himself from telling her to shout or insult him or do _anything_ else but look like a empty shell of her former self.

"Hm, never thought that dorm would make you so pathetically weak," and before he could even take one step away from her, Lyca suddenly spoke up, her eyes, while still tired and half lidded, held a underlining edge that reminded the chef of her _old_ self.

"You know..." he felt the sudden spike in her attitude and beneath the layers of exhaustion reflected in her posture, she was anything _but_ happy, "Just because Souma is your rival and you don't interact with the others much, doesn't mean you can be a jackass and talk shit of them," her sudden use of vulgar language piqued his interest as he rose an eyebrow, her voice didn't falter _once_ , "I'm used to your stupid mood swings, but don't think you can get away with insulting people that are dear to me," her gaze narrowed warningly.

Ryou snorted, a fire burning just beneath the surface of his calm demeanor, "Oh? Don't forget how that _dear friend_ of yours just blurted out about what happened to your parents," his voice was calm but she knew otherwise.

Her voice was ice and that stunned him, "At least he had the _balls_ to tell me," with another heated glare, she turned her back to him, biting her lip as she shut the door behind her closed, leaving a speechless chef behind.

The seafood expert could feel his anger rising at the insult but it deflated as fast as it came with the knowledge that...

She was right.

And it was a painful punch to the gut to admit that, at least to himself.

Clenching his shaking fist tightly, he turned around, strides long and furious, a dormant fury hidden beneath his calm façade that threatened to burst should he not have a match soon.

" _Aldini..."_ the image of Takumi Aldini appeared in his mind and he allowed a small smile to grace his face, blood boiling furiously at the thought of having a _Shokugeki_ with the hot blooded Italian.

* * *

 _Yawn_

Kojiro Shinomiya adjusted his glasses, right before slamming the receipts, a sizeable pile of more than ten pages, down onto the counter beside his insolent's student's head, causing another yawn to sound before the sleeping body stirred, finally revealing the sleepy gold eyes of one Souma Yukihira.

"What do you think you're doing sleeping in _my_ lecture?!" the alumni's gaze was scathing, trying and failing to burn holes through the youth's skull.

"Ahh, sorry, sorry Shinomiya-sempai." He stretched, releasing another drawn out yawn, "I've practiced my cooking last night so I didn't really sleep," he noticed the pile near where his head was, "Uh... _reccettes?"_ blinking slowly, Souma's brain struggled to recall the word, before he jumped in his seat with a start, " _Recipes?!_ So many?!" he stared up at his senior.

The pink haired man pinched the bridge of his nose, taking deep calming breaths to not strangle his student, "You were the one wanting to learn, right? If you can cook me something that I deem satisfactory with these dishes, we can move on to exploring the more advanced cooking styles for your upcoming match." He took the pile from the desk, waving them almost tauntingly, "However, each of these recipes have an error to them and it's your job to find out what that is and cook them correctly to create delicious dishes with them." His gaze was cutting, "I'll fail you if the first dish doesn't satisfy me,"

Souma sighed heavily, "So mean, Shinomiya-sempai..."

For this, he _did_ get a light slap to the head with the papers, "Get to work!"

 **Thank you all for reading! :) BTW: Was Ryou too cold/harsh in this chapter? I thought it might suit his personality a bit better.**


	22. A Matter of Perspective

**A/N:** Hello everyone, I'm sorry for the late updates, also to my other longer stories, RL has taken a toll on me but I finally found inspiration to write again! Any suggestions for improvement are always appreciated!

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 22: A Matter of Perspective**

Laying flat on her back, her mind a mess, she tried to calm down her racing heart and boiling blood.

She couldn't believe he had the gall to insult her friends like that.

" _He's hurt…that was just his attitude speaking,"_ her heart kept telling her but her mind disagreed whole heartedly.

 _"_ _He's a jackass,"_ it said.

" _He's a rude, hot blooded idiot with a crazy personality disorder and an infuriating attitude,"_

Well…she couldn't disagree with herself, but then again, he probably hadn't meant half of what he said.

She sighed, long and hard and it felt like her body only sagged further into the sheets, feeling like useless lead.

She couldn't remember the last time she created or altered a recipe in the past week, she couldn't really recall the past classes either. She remembered the late nights she spent in the kitchen, mulling over recipes but never really cooking. The whole week had been a blur, one long torturous combination of minutes and hours that were slowly culminating in a strenuous week.

How she _wished_ the week was over.

Rubbing her hands harshly over her face, Lyca released a frustrated wail, "Great…I'm having fights with myself in my own mind and I'm too chicken to confront Ryou," she slowly raised herself up, one hand supporting her weight and the other coming up to brush her messy hair away from her eyes.

Her head ached slightly but her mind suddenly recalled Souma's words, after Isshiki-senpai had brought her back to the dorm.

 _"_ _Oi, Lyca can I talk to you for a sec?"_ the redhead had surprised her, but nonetheless she nodded at him to continue speaking, " _Ah, listen, about the thing with Kurokiba and what I said-"_

She had told him exactly what she thought then, " _Souma-kun, I'll be direct. It's not your fault, you were the one who…told me after all. I don't blame you at all, it's just…I need some time,"_ she knew Soma easily saw the sadness in her eyes and his expression had softened in understanding.

" _I wasn't supposed to be the one to tell ya, Kurokiba did what he thought was right. I'm sorry for telling you without thinking of what could happen."_ His hands were shaking fists at his side, " _It wasn't my place,"_

She had only smiled, could only smile, because he genuinely cared, " _Souma-kun, I told you it's fine. Thanks for being a good friend and…thanks for telling me this. You really don't have to feel bad,"_

Now this, this surprised her, " _But I do. And Kurokiba does too. Kurokiba really doesn't know how to be smooth, but give him a chance will ya?"_ his eyes had pleaded with her and she couldn't believe how she fell for his puppy dog look which strangely reminded her of Alice's own.

" _Y-yeah…"_ she had quickly fled to her bedroom, intent on trying to reorganize her thoughts and trying to think when did her friend suddenly develop something like a sixth sense when it's about 'reading the mood', him of all people.

She sighed and suddenly jumped when a loud knock sounded on her door.

It was him. It _must_ be him. Did he come back to continue their fight?

Muttering under her breath and bracing herself, Lyca stood up and swung the door open, eyes furious, "Look, I meant what I said about you not having any fucking balls to-" she froze, her mind going blank when she finally registered that Ryou wasn't standing in front of her.

It was Alice.

"M-M-milady!" Lyca bowed briefly, back as straight as a pole.

Alice regarded her curiously, her hands resting on her hips, "…I'll let you know I don't have any balls," she smiled happily, as if uncovering a big secret.

Lyca flushed from the roots of her hair, "I-I-I'm sorry Alice, that-that," she swallowed, "That hadn't been meant for you," she stared at her feet, anywhere than at her close friend and lady.

Alice's gaze narrowed, " _Ryou-kun must have been here. Did he annoy her again? Ugh! Things always get worse when I'm not there!"_

"How about a Shokugeki hmm? I feel really, really restless Lyca- _chan_!" she quickly grabbed her friend's arm and dragged her out of the room, hauling the startled girl along.

Lyca almost tripped over her own feet at the strength Alice used to drag her around like a ragdoll, "A-Alice! Wait!" she firmly planted her feet on the floor and Alice stopped in her tracks, "To be honest, I…I'm not feeling up for a Shokugeki match,"

Alice turned toward her and grinned and Lyca felt very, very nervous, "Oh you dummy!" She laughed, "I didn't mean we would _have_ a Shokugeki, we'll watch one! Come on!"

Lyca's eyes flew open, "Huh? What?! Wait, hold up! What do you mean we'll watch one?! What Shokugeki is possibly going on now? Afternoon classes are already over!" besides, what students even had the strength and motivation to continue after classes? Certainly not her.

She was stupid not to anticipate her lady's answer, "I see someone didn't sleep well!" Alice giggled, "The older Aldini is having a Shokugeki against Ryou-kun!"

Lyca's throat ran dry and she felt her hands beginning to sweat, half in fear, half in anticipation. Ryou was cooking? _Against Takumi?_

 _Shit._

"Alice, what do you mean they're having a Shougeki? What happened?" People didn't just randomly start a Shokugeki with Ryou Kurokiba for the heck of it. His nickname wasn't for the laughs either.

But Alice smiled it all off, as if she'd told a funny joke, "Oh, I don't know, that's why we're going there to find out! Now come on we'll miss it!" she redoubled her efforts and Lyca commanded her own feet to move quicker, before the crazy chef decided to start dragging her by her hair.

The girls slowed a little to a more manageable but still brisk pace, Alice obviously noticed her friend's nervousness and she smiled, "What? Worried about Ryou-kun?" she smiled impishly.

But Lyca's answer surprised her, "What would happen to Takumi?! I know he's a great chef but if the theme is salmon or any other seafood dish he's a goner! Ryou will kill him!" she started making larger, quicker strides, "Come on Alice, we have to hurry!"

Alice could only blink in wonder as she was now being dragged forward by Lyca. Could it be that she was angrier at Ryou than they all assumed?

The two girls finally arrived at the scene, located in one of the kitchens a floor below where Soma secretly had that Shokugeki with Shinomiya-senpai first.

Sure enough, there were the two chefs but what struck both of them was-

"…It's still here,"

Megumi's frightened gaze met Lyca's at the sound of her voice, "Huh? W-what is Lyca-san?"

"The kitchen…it's not on fire, Takumi is still alive and…" she trailed off after spotting Ryou, his back turned to them, "…he doesn't have his bandanna on yet,"

Takumi lifted his head from his preparations, kneading some sort of dough, and smiled calmly, "Ah, Lyca good timing, we were just needing a third judge," he gestured at the seated Isami and Megumi, both with worried expressions.

Lyca sensed this would go down bad, "Maybe I should-" wait…she came here to prevent her friend's possible death by Ryou, she also came here to see what dishes they would cook…since she was _already_ here, "-sit down for this," she took a seat between Megumi and Isami while Alice leaned against the wall beside them, a calculating look on her pale features that made Lyca slightly suspicious.

She knew her long enough to know when she was plotting something and this didn't sound good at all, "Alice, what are you thinking?" her nausea from earlier was gone, but her stomach flipped uncomfortably when the chef smiled.

"Oh nothing, just wondering what the theme for today is," the bright grin on her face made Lyca frown.

Isami with his ever calm aura defused the cloud of suspicion, "They decided for a freestyle patisserie theme,"

Both Lyca and Alice looked at him in surprise, "Uh… _patisserie_? As in… _pastries?_ Baked goods?"

Isami nodded, looking at the two cooking chefs, "That's right. Megumi-chan chose the theme," three heads turned to look at her and Megumi nervously fidgeted with hers fingers.

"Um…they had trouble deciding what-what to cook so I, uhm, I suggested something sweet because we already had a heavy dinner," Lyca had to smile, it was typical of Megumi to be considerate to what guests ate before deciding on what to cook and dessert certainly sounded nice.

Wait… Lyca leaned forward to better look Isami in the eye, "Did you say… _freestyle_?"

Again the Italian chef nodded, "Right,"

Lyca rose an eyebrow, "So they…just grabbed whatever they found and…started?"

Again, Isami nodded.

The ferocious wolf groaned, "Ugh, Ryou may be a great chef, but patisserie isn't exactly his strong suit…" her gaze switched to Takumi's concentrated expression, "Say Isami, does Takumi know anything about…uh well, baking?" she felt a little stupid to ask, Italians _had_ their famous gelato, among other sweet pastries to offer.

Isami chuckled, rubbing his chin, "Brother made that lemon curd italiano semifreddo before as well as a few dishes native to our homeland," Isami suddenly started to sweat, "I'm sure brother will be fine but…desserts haven't been all that common for a while now,"

Biting her lip, Lyca focused her attention back on the Shokugeki, the suspiciously quiet atmosphere causing her nerves to skyrocket.

From what they could see, Takumi had a filled pastry bag set to the side, filled with a cream-colored substance. He had two small bowls, one with raspberries and the other with blueberries, another smaller container with a light bluish….cream?

She leaned in to whisper close to Megumi's ears, "What is that…bluish crème?"

Megumi stared hard at it but try as she might, she couldn't identify it, "I don't know…maybe the filling?" Lyca's eyes narrowed, confused.

Wasn't the pastry bag filled with the whitish cream the one with the filling? Or was it for decoration?

She shook her head, she didn't have a large field of knowledge concerning pastries. She baked once every blue moon or when an occasion calls for it, but she could say she wasn't a pro at it.

Neither was Ryou.

If what Isami said was true and Takumi _had_ a least some experience, than he had a small advantage over Ryou.

Usually, more subdued flavors were preferred for baking goods, as opposed to the explosive, overwhelming taste of main course dishes containing meat or other ingredients.

She wasn't sure how this Shokugeki started, and it worried her a great deal that both males, who were _both_ known for their hot-bloodedness, were unusually quiet and subdued in their match and that she hadn't seen any of Ryou's ingredients, with his place behind Takumi and his back turned to them.

What could he be doing?

Something with a strong flavor?

She knew for a fact he wasn't crazy of sour tastes aside from seasoning his fish with lemon and the like, perhaps he would avoid adding anything with lemons in it. That still left a million options for a dessert. This was a freestyle Shokugeki, if she wanted to figure out what dish he could possibly make, she needed to know what ingredients were even in here.

She turned to Megumi again, "Say Megumi-chan, do you know what ingredients were already here before those two started?" she hoped Megumi caught her drift when she subtly looked at Ryou.

Thankfully, the blue-haired girl noticed it, "O-oh, um…" with a slender finger resting against her chin, she thought for a moment, "Eggs, milk, flour, mayonnaise, sugar, cinnamon, shrimp, vegetables, dried fruits-"

Lyca's blood froze, "Wait, wait, wait. Did you say _shrimp?_ " she stared at her friend imploringly, willing her brain to think what she heard was wrong and that it was definitely _not_ shrimp.

Megumi shrunk into herself slightly at the expression on her friend's face, "Y-yes, shrimp, why-" she jumped when Lyca jumped in her seat and quickly looked over at the two males.

 _Fuck._

Lyca stared at Ryou's back, he looked completely absorbed in his cooking but he wasn't serious, at least not with his bandanna on. Did he not see Takumi as a challenge at all? Or was he just 'warming up'?

She shook her head, earning a confused look from Isami, " _No…nothing's quite a 'warm up' with Ryou, he must be planning something I just know it. He's not big on desserts but as long as he has ingredients he can work with, he'll make anything possible, besides…"_ she remembered, a long time ago, hearing something from Leonora about desserts and seafood, " _What did auntie Leonora say again? That there are some seafood-themed desserts you can make? But I think most of them are from America…"_ she tried hard what dessert could possibly entail shrimp, but got up empty handed.

Her hands anxiously wiped the sweat on her pants and she shifted nervously in her seat, "Alice… what's going on? Why's Ryou not putting on his bandana?" she was sure her mistress had more answers.

But Alice only smiled, "I don't know, why would you think I know anything Lyca- _chan_?" she smiled innocently but the innocent tone of her smile didn't reach her eyes.

" _Definitely planning something,"_ hazel eyes focused back on the two boys in the kitchen, "Good luck…"

Isami and Megumi heard her whispered wish and couldn't help but agree. They had a feeling this Shokugeki had been about more than just the males' hot-bloodedness.

 **See you in the next chap! :) Thanks for reading!**


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